Just a Little More Time

When my dog Blessing arrived, my first priority was her safety.

Although my other dogs were old, they were jealous and territorial.

A big wooden fence was constructed around her cage to ensure she remained out of harm’s way. On weekdays, she was only let out into the yard at night, and soon, she was used to playing fetch and “come get the shoe” before our bedtime.

As she grew bigger and was able to stand up to her rivals, she was permanently allowed out of the cage. How she enjoyed her newfound freedom and demonstrated her ability to chew up shoes, toys, and everything in sight! Despite being a perfect combination of stubborn, bossy, and demanding, her loving nature has continued to win everyone’s hearts. While her training was unintentional, Blessing’s favorite time to play is at night.

She has a knack for pushing the front door open with her mouth and popping a shoe—or anything else—into her mouth so that we can fetch them from her.

This is an exhausting task for most of us since she is so fast.

Her other favorite game is to give hugs, which are often unexpected and can be unsafe now that she is almost as tall as I am when she stands on her hind legs.

One of her most unforgettable attributes is her longing to spend more time with me. After being told that she needs to leave the balcony or lie down after giving one of her long hugs, she will look up at me with her sad brown eyes as if to say, “Just a little more time, Mommy, please?” Needless to say, she almost always succeeds in getting her way.

As I think about the relationship between my four-legged friend and me, I wonder whether God ever longs for us to know that He also asks, “Can you spend just a little more time with Me today?” What keeps us from doing so? Do the cares of the day drown out the quality time that my heavenly Father wishes to spend with me? Am I robbing myself of spiritual blessings by not allowing myself to bask sufficiently in His presence? Today, as you start your day, be intentional about setting aside some quality time to spend with the God who loves you with an everlasting love. If you “draw nigh to God, . . . he will draw nigh to you” (James 4:8, KJV).

Shana Cyr-Philbert