Our dog, Diggory, does not like thunder storms. He cowers and hides and trembles, and looks up at me with these big, worried eyes.
This morning, just before my daughter’s alarm went off, she heard a strange sound in the bathroom. Things were falling and banging around. When she went in, she found Diggory in the bathtub! He was pacing back and forth, knocking down all of her bottles of shampoo and body wash. Then, when she tried to get him out so that she could take a shower, he just kept hopping back in. So she took her shower with the dog today.
When she brought the wet little guy to me, he was trembling, shivering, and even panting. The thunder storm has persisted on-and-off for about 17 hours at that point, and poor Diggory was stressed out! He wouldn’t eat or drink or leave my side.
I kept telling him, “It’s okay, Mr. Diggy. Nothing to worry about!” But even though he cocked his head and looked at me intelligently, he just kept trembling.
What a picture of me, when I’m swallowed up by fear. God tells me that there’s nothing to worry about–that he’s working all things together for good… But I just keep trembling. I let worries rumble through my mind and focus on the threats flashing around me.
Unlike Diggory, (who may look like he’s listening intelligently, but really only knows a few words like ‘treat’ and outside’), I have a message available and ready to comfort me any time I let it. By flipping to Matthew 6 or Psalm 91, I can refresh my faith and calm my fears within moments.
Or I can be like Diggory and keep trembling. It’s my choice.