What Causes You To Shake Like My Dog?

If you’re new to the Wholehearted Living blog, you might need to know that my dog, “Mabel”, is a very important part of our family. As a miniature golden doodle, Mabel usually has a calm and loving disposition and she loves to lounge, as pictured above.

However, there is one thing that disturbs her easy-going disposition; Mabel is afraid of storms. As soon as she hears thunder her behavior changes, she starts panting and repeatedly paws at my leg. That’s her way of saying, “I’m scared. Hold me.”

One evening, recently, she kept pawing at me before I heard any thunder. Once the rainstorm moved in, she couldn’t stop shaking –even though I was holding her tightly to my chest.

When faced with the “storms” of your own life, how do you most often respond? Maybe, more often than we’d like, we respond like Mabel; we’re fearful and find ourselves shaking. If so, God’s Word provides direction. Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, and ever-present help in trouble.”

What makes you focus on the storms in your life, rather than on the one who can calm them? How might your response change, if you first acknowledged God’s presence –maybe with a statement like this: “God, thank you that this situation is not asurprise to you, nor is it a problem for you. YOU are the perfect provider and you have this covered.”

Eventually, Mabel’s focus changed. No longer focusing on the storm, she settled into my embrace and began to rest more comfortably. As I am facing a current storm in my own life, this is a great reminder; challenges are simply an opportunity – an opportunity to trust that God holds us close, and is our ever-present help for everything.

– At peace in His perfect provision,
Alicia