{"id":2317,"date":"2019-02-04T11:20:04","date_gmt":"2019-02-04T16:20:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.paracletepress.com\/?p=2317"},"modified":"2019-02-04T11:20:04","modified_gmt":"2019-02-04T16:20:04","slug":"new-years-resolution-be-more-like-your-dogs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.paracletepress.com\/index.php\/new-years-resolution-be-more-like-your-dogs\/","title":{"rendered":"New Year\u2019s Resolution\u2014be more like your dogs!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Author of Faithfully Yours for Kids,<\/em> Peggy Frezon, shares her New Year\u2019s Resolution\u2014to be more like her dogs.<\/p>\n

If we\u2019re smart, we can learn a lot from our dogs. Following their example, we can learn to play with gusto, eat heartily, and nap often. We can learn how to forgive others and love unconditionally. We can also discover lessons to apply to our spiritual lives.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Keep Daily Quiet Time<\/strong>\u2014My golden retriever Ernest\u2019s quiet time consists of stretching out in a patch of sunlight streaming in through the window, resting his head on his paws, and closing his eyes. I can see his muscles relax and his expression fill with contented peace. Following his example, I curl up on my big green chair, relax my body, close my eyes and allow God to enter my mind. Allowing Him to direct my path fills me with contented peace.<\/p>\n

Wait Faithfully\u2014<\/strong>When we first rescued our senior dog Ike, he used to cry whenever I left the house. I could hear his heart-wrenching whines, even outside in the driveway as I was climbing into the car. After a while, Ike began to trust that I\u2019d always return. He stopped crying when I left. He waited for me faithfully, in comfort that he\u2019d be okay while I was gone. We are never truly separated from God, but when times are tough and it seems like He is far away, I can trust that He is always there. If I wait faithfully, I will hear Him and feel His loving touch again.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Love thy Neighbor\u2014 <\/strong>My dogs live for walks around the neighborhood. They think everyone they meet is their friend. I love the way Ernest approaches little children so gently. And how Petey wags and pulls me toward everyone he meets. Their open and accepting approach to people warms my heart. Sometimes I find myself too busy with my own life to pay attention to others. Or I make judgments about others\u2019 interests and feelings. But if I act more like my dogs, I\u2019ll greet others wholeheartedly without judgment or reservation.<\/p>\n

Devour Enthusiastically\u2014<\/strong>Ernest and Petey don\u2019t pick at their food. They gobble it up heartily, wasting no time in consuming every last morsel. God is the nourishment for my soul. I want to receive Him eagerly and joyfully, and be filled with the Bread of Life. Just like Ernest and Petey, I will not hunger or thirst!<\/p>\n

So this year, I\u2019m going to try to be more like my dogs.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Adapted from Pawprints on my Heart by Peggy Frezon, Guideposts.com Jan. 2015<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Author of Faithfully Yours for Kids, Peggy Frezon, shares her New Year\u2019s Resolution\u2014to be more like her dogs. If we\u2019re smart, we can learn a lot from our dogs. Following their example, we can learn to play with gusto, eat … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2319,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-paraclete-press"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.paracletepress.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.paracletepress.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.paracletepress.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.paracletepress.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.paracletepress.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2317"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.paracletepress.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2317\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.paracletepress.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.paracletepress.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.paracletepress.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.paracletepress.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}