Sorry Charley

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:11

"Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent." Rev. 3:19

This is my Grand dog Charley. As you can see he's gotten himself in a bit of a mess! I love Charley. He is an energetic, fun loving, always ready to play and please puppy. He loves to be around people and he comforts them with his big brown eyes and is always ready to snuggle on your lap(even though he's really NOT a lap dog). Sometimes He gets a little carried away in his joy, as in this picture. These soft white rolls seemed like the perfect toy for him, they looked harmless enough. He thought he'd just check them out and before he knew it he had unrolled, tossed about, tore up and thoroughly examined each roll. He was feeling pretty good about himself, satisfied, till his master walked in the room with a serious look on his face. There he was, sitting in the middle of a big mess. Charley looked around, "how did this happen?" He wondered. All he wanted to do was have a little fun, but it had gotten out of control. Humbled, Charley did the only thing he could. He sat there, giving the sorriest look he knew how and watched as his master cleaned up his mess.

Isn't this the way things go in our own lives with God sometimes? We want to please Him and are enthusiastic in our efforts. We look for ways to serve Him, we are happiest when we make him happy, yet sometimes there are things that look so good to us, seem harmless enough, like parties, staying up late, busyness, gossipping, computer games etc...and we think a little indulgence in such seemingly harmless things couldn't possibly do any harm, but before we know what has happened, we find ourselves smack dab in the middle of our own big mess. Then God walks in, looks around, and loves us. He helps us sort out and clean up our messes just like Charley's Master did for Him. Oh sure, there may be some consequences to face, but why do you think that is? Because God loves us too much to leave us sitting in our messes and he doesn't want to see us in that place again, and because we love God and want to please him we will hopefully learn from our experience and try not to do it again.

Just as we still love Charley in spite of the messes he makes, God loves us in spite of our messes.

God has promised us His eternal care, He is a committed God, He is a faithful God and when He disciplines us, it is because He loves us and wants us to have the optimal benefits of being his children. So if you are in a mess right now, self imposed or otherwise, take heart! Fall on your knees and cry out to God! tell him your problem and repent. He will help you to clean it up and lift you out it. God wants to be the greatest object of our affection and enjoyment. He wants us to find our ultimate joy and contentment in Him. When we come to Him with a contrite spirit, He will always lead us back to Him. Thank You God!