My little guy shows me daily that his actions speak louder than words. With these tiny hands and these tiny arms, my child speaks. Although he cannot express his thoughts with spoken words, his sweet gestures talk for him.
I know that one day soon, he will perforate the air with the sounds of his words. When that day comes, it will be a blessing from God, and I will rejoice. Until then, these tiny hands and arms will speak his love to me.
So, I’m having a no good, terrible, and what most people call a very bad day. It all started when my alarm was on strike, refusing to notify me of my need to wake up. Causing a string of unfortunate events, ultimately leading to my late arrival at work.
Honestly, I was completely off my game for the rest of the day, and even my most comfortable work shoes couldn’t keep me up. Therefore, messing me up on an important work project. This caused some slight irritation in my boss and, honestly, in me. At that moment, I couldn’t see that the creator of chaos, “The Devil,” was fueling my every thought and emotion. He wanted me to do or say something that would allow this day to spiral out of control.
By this point, those feelings of worthlessness and defeat crept inside my heart, and I began questioning why God would even put me on this earth. So, if you have ever found yourself in my shoes (and some of you probably have), I found something remarkable that might just turn that difficult day upside down.
Keep Singing… and no, I’m not suggesting turning your life into a high school musical. The Song “Keep Singing” by Mercyme has been a constant in my life for the last few years, an outlet for helping me make it through those most challenging days. Its lyrics softly praise God amidst all the troubles and tragedies we may face, the ones on this side of heaven.
This powerful song has brought me back from the edge more times than I can count since its release in 2004. One of the most memorable parts of the music that always causes a wavy of calm to rush over me is:
“Can I climb up in Your lap
I don’t wanna leave
Jesus sing over me.”
Every time I hear those words, I have this urge to close my eye and picture the goodness of God. Are you able to imagine it, too? Standing before the throne of God and standing in the wonder of his love. Would it be intimidating, or would it feel like home? I would wait patiently for him to notice me and look for him to beckon me up. I may revert to my childhood, climbing up his thrown so fast, like a squirrel scurrying up a tree. Plopping myself on his lap and resting my head on his crest. I imagine my breathing becoming in sync with his, feeling the stress and frustrations of life fly away. In this vision, he sings sweet blessings over my life, and I am comforted, safe, and wrapped in his unconditional love.
I love this song and will always consider it my bad day song. No matter how hard my day is, I remind myself that God is always there to support me. To hold me when it’s rough and loves me despite my shortcomings. (which there are plenty of)
Suppose you are going through one of those no-good days. In that case, I encourage you to find a musical outlet (along with prayer) to help combat the devil and his attacks. Find a pair of comfy shoes, regroup, and recover. Hit the refresh button, play on the stereo, and just “Keep Singing.”
Psalm 98:4
“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.”
“I hate dogs!!!” was my thinking for years before a small, lovable puppy came into my life.
Before Ike arrived, my animal experience hadn’t been good for most of my life. In my short 40 years, I got scratched, bit, licked, and fell prey to the dreaded cat scratch fever (yes, it is more than an 80’s rock song). Having a dog would be out of the question. RIGHT?
Jumping back to 2011, I was 31, in love, and it was with the girl next door (literally). There was nothing that she could say that would stop me from marrying her. I had the ring, the girl, and a house for the girl to live in after the “I dos.”
So, the time had come. Everything was all set. I knelt down on one knee, nervously trembling as will you marry me, tumbled out of my mouth. Joy anxiously replied, yes, but insisted her dog Teddy was also part of the package.” Fear rushed over me like a bad case of food poisoning, and I awkwardly agreed as my stomach churned uncontrollably.
Our big day had come and gone by mid-august, as the wedding gifts were all put away, and my new bride was true to her word. Much to my dismay, a short time later, I was staring eye-to-eye with a little gray and white Shih Zhu as he stared back at me.
Teddy was a good dog, although, unfortunately, we never truly bonded. About six months after Joy and I married, God began to stir our hearts changing the family’s direction, and we could see a need to fulfill. Joy’s heart was torn; she knew how much her father, Roger, had bonded with Teddy when they had lived at the family home.
Roger missed Teddy after we married, and they moved away. So after much prayer and seeking the Lord’s will, Joy finally decided that Teddy should live with Grandpa and Grandma since he brought them so much love and happiness.
Although I could see Joy made a difficult choice, I thought everything was finally going my way; I had a wife, stepdaughter, house, and NO DOG. Life was finally smooth sailing, or so I thought.
Not long after Teddy’s departure, my new wife revealed she was unhappy without a dog in the house.
Reluctantly I went with the girls to our local shelter to just look at a puppy that Joy found on their website. It was a blow to my ego, and I was looking forward to the peace and quiet of living in a no-pet house.
His name was Ike, and he was a new arrival at the shelter. He looked pathetically adorable with his paw up on the cage, eagerly eyeing everyone as they walked by. When the girls came around the corner and saw Ike, I knew I was in trouble. They fell in love with him at first sight, and I wondered, out of all the dogs here, why Ike. I knew that if this was going to work, God would have to show up, and boy, did he ever.
Several other families wanted to adopt Ike and filled out the application; there were too many to count. Thankfully after much prayer, we were the family God chose, and the girls were overjoyed; I guess I was mildly excited too. We ultimately adopted Ike into our family and brought him home. It was a happy time for Joy, and she thrived with having a new puppy to love; it was a relief knowing that the decision to bring another dog home was just what she needed to adjust to married life.
My work schedule changed a year or so later, allowing me to spend more time with Ike. Then, Ike and I truly bonded and became the best of friends. The bond we developed has become a source of fuel for my creativity, bringing laughter back into my life and allowing me to tap into a new creative place of writing.
Seeing God’s plan for Ike in our family back then was difficult, but now I’m uplifted. He’s a comedian and gets the whole family to belly laugh. Nowadays, Ike is like our third child, spoiled by Joy, the kids, and especially by me. Ike is essential, and I can’t see life without him. I wouldn’t have believed it years ago, but with God’s direction, I went from being down on dogs to living my best life. One that I’m happy to confess includes my puppy best friend, Ike.
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD,
thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
I know you are looking at this vacuum and saying, “So What.” But there is a point to this post. The fact is, I broke this vacuum, and it’s now fixed. This moment didn’t just magically happen. There was some failure, a “giving up” escape plan, and ultimately, success because I gave it one more try. But this is not all learned. I received a special gift from my father years ago, which helped secure this victory.
It was 2013, and I was at the beginning of my computer engineering degree. In one of my engineering classes, there was a project assigned that would throw me for the biggest loop.
I needed to make electronic dice, something I had never done before. The lesson kit included all of the components and a detailed lesson plan, but one major obstacle was in my way. I didn’t know how to solder. So after some slight panic, I did what most guys would do when hitting a significant roadblock. I called my father. Thankfully in my case, my father happens to be an electrician and millwright of 30+ years, and thankfully was up for the challenge. After listening to my predicament, Dad dropped what he was doing and came to help me. Whew! There was a happy ending, I received an A for this project and ultimately graduated with my degree.
Life moved on, and I forgot about that project until about two weeks ago. The day was hectic and I was sweeping out my car when one of my son’s toys plugged the vacuum. After struggling to release the plastic piece, it was obvious more had to be done. In order to dislodge the toy, the entire piece needed attention. Unfortunately, while trying to accomplish this task, I broke a few wires that power the brush. It was an absolute mess. Out of pure frustration, I gave up, threw the whole thing into the trash, and went to bed.
In the morning, I had a feeling that my heavenly father was nudging me to try again. I knew I could solder those pieces together. I just had to try. Thankfully, an hour later, the repairs were complete, and the vacuum worked like it was brand new. What a fantastic blessing and I didn’t even have to buy a new one. What a win! This teachable moment from my father all those years ago helped shape my future, save me money, and spark a new sense of confidence in myself. Thanks, Dad!