Kim Bryan

This is Shane coming to me for his rest!

Recently, Shane came to me and sat down next to where I was sitting on the couch.  Every bit of his body language was saying, “Please pet me,” which, of course, I began to do for him.  As I rubbed Shane’s neck and head, he began a long, slow slide downward until he finally collapsed in a contented heap next to the couch.

It made me think about how far Shane has come in the last three years.  When we first adopted Shane, he was nice but a bit standoffish.  Sometimes, when I would go to him to try to pet him, he would turn his head away.   Other times, he was perfectly receptive.  Our relationship grew so that when I would go to him and pet him, he would actually turn his whole body toward me and embrace the affection I was offering to him.

Then we advanced to where I would call Shane to me, and he would come to me rather than me going to him all of the time.  Ultimately, we grew to a level of relationship whereby Shane now comes to me regularly for attention, comfort, affection, and love.

God showed me that this progression in my relationship with Shane is just like my walk with Him.  God has always loved me, and He has always given me His full attention and affection, even when I sometimes turn away from Him.  Because of God’s persistent, perfect love for me, our relationship has steadily grown through the various stages:  my fickle reception of His perfect love, then my more consistent reception of His unfailing love, then my growth in responding to His call to me and in going to Him, all the way to where I now come to Him for love, comfort, attention, and affection.  I come to Him of my own volition, my own choosing, because I love Him and because I now know that I need Him in every way.

God is my rest.  God is my strength.  God is the attention that I need.  I am so grateful that He patiently, faithfully, unwaveringly loved me while I learned this invaluable Truth in Him.

May you go always to the One who loves you beyond measure for your rest and for all that you need.

May you go beyond just letting Him in, and may you grow in going to Him in all things.

Peace to you!