It's the day of love. But this day means more to me than just chocolate or roses. It was on this day three years ago that I was engaged to the man I had prayed for since I was a little girl. Josh Robinson. He's the funniest, yet sweetest person I know. He is constantly an encourager to me. And he'll probably read this and blush, because he's just not all about himself.
For example, I'm up to my head in piles of schoolwork right now that I have to get done by Wednesday in order to graduate this semester. But, I still planned on cooking his favorite meal tonight for dinner - Shake n Bake chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans and rolls (he's a simple, southern man.) Instead, he decided to call up Papa Johns and order a "heart-shaped" pizza and cinnamon bread, so I could concentrate on writing papers and book reviews. It was a simple gesture, but so so sweet!!
We have a sweet, 1 year old pup named Heidi, who is absolutely the most loving dog I've ever known. We got her on Josh's birthday last year (January 30th) at a local pet store. It was a very spontaneous, but so rewarding, decision. Here's the story...
We were eating lunch at Ruby Tuesday's and I started to feel guilty about the fact that I hadn't gotten him a birthday present yet. Now, before you start thinking I'm a horrible wife... if you know Josh, you know that you don't just get him anything. It has to be something... A) He needs or B) He really really wants. And everything I'd suggested getting him, didn't fit into those categories. So here I was, on his birthday, brainstorming what to do. I finally threw out the most random idea imaginable.
"What about getting a puppy?"
Josh loves dogs. So his eyes got all big and bright and he smiled at my suggestion, but then he immediately thought about my allergies to dogs and said we didn't have to do that. Now, everyone knows that "we don't have to" or "you don't have to" always means "I really really want you to." Bingo. I knew I'd found the perfect gift.
So, off we were to the pet store - any pet store - to find our puppy.
After browsing a few places, we finally found a small local shop with a litter of "golden retreivers" for sale. They were all adorable, but there was one with the sweetest eyes looking up at me that I fell in love with. I asked the lady if I could hold her... and I never gave her back!
They happened to cost the exact amount of birthday money that Josh had received from his family, so we felt like it was a perfect gift. We took her home in a small box and got ready to dive into what we joked about as "parenthood." Little did we know...
Training a puppy is tough work! Potty training, teething, chewing, eating, whining (all throughout the night)... we hadn't experienced a newborn baby, but this had to be close. Luckily, it didn't last too long. Heidi was a smart puppy (she takes after her momma ;) ) and learned not to pee in the house by two months old. She and I also experienced our first "snow fall" together last February. It was beautiful.
As Heidi grew, we began to notice that our "golden retreiver" pup wasn't growing the signature long, fur coat that a normal golden has. And by 10 months old, when the coat still hadn't come in, we realized that she couldn't be full golden. Not that this particularly mattered to us, we loved her the same (and me and my allergies were actually a bit thankful that her coat wasn't getting long!) But it's always good to know what to say when someone asks what kind of dog you have. So this probed us into researching other mixes and looking at pictures to see which ones Heidi identified with most.
She definitely shared similar characteristics with the golden, but her short coat and short ears reminded us more of a labrador retriever. So, I decided to do a little google search about golden/lab mixes and found that they are incredibly smart, playful, super loving, friendly and great family pets! All described Heidi, perfectly. It is claimed that they actually have a less likelihood of getting diseases passed down through their breed. While I was researching, I found the sweetest tribute video a family put together for their golden/lab mix, Nova, that could pass for Heidi's twin! Watch this adorable video below.
I feel like the mystery of our sweet pup's heritage has finally been solved! We are so grateful for this loving addition to our family, and we highly recommend a golden/lab mix dog as the perfect companion. Eager to please, and eager to love. What more could you ask for? :)
I'm very excited. For the next two Sundays, Josh is preaching at Watermark Church while our pastor is on a mission trip to Israel... and I am very excited about what he is going to be speaking on! One of my favorite parables that Jesus shared, is the parable of the sower. I think one of the reasons I love it so much, is because Jesus actually explained this one to us! Haha. :) Tomorrow Josh will elaborate more on this, but I thought I would just share some of my thoughts from this revealing passage.
"Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” - Matthew 13:3-9
Now, sometimes we can walk away from parables (and a lot of Scripture, actually) and wonder, "What exactly is He trying to tell me here?" We may probe the passage searching for answers. In this case, Jesus explains to the disciples just exactly what is meant.
“Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds:The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts.The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy.But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word.The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced.The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” - Matthew 13:18-23
Wow! How can we walk away from that and not consider our own hearts and the seed that has been sown within us? I would bet that there is not a single person reading this right now that has never heard the name of Jesus. I say that with such boldness, because for one, there are probably only about three of you that are even reading this (hey Josh, Court and Cindy!). And secondly, I'm American and I'm guessing that you probably are too. America was founded by Christianity.
Saying all that, I think it is important to realize something - knowing the name of Jesus... and knowing Jesus, are two completely different things. And I believe that the American culture has more seeds that fall into hard, shallow and thorn-infested soil than anything else. Some hear the gospel of Jesus and just don't understand it (hard soil). Some hear the message and receive it with joy immediately; but when their joy fades, so does their faith (shallow soil). Some hear from God, but are too distracted with the worries and concerns of this life to do anything about it (thorn-infested soil).
The seed that we should pursue, is the seed that gives evidence of fruit! The seed that is hungry for more rain and sunlight to produce more and more. I love seeing a true seed grow. It is probably my favorite thing in the world. And when that seed begins to multiply into a harvest... it is a beautiful sight.
What kind of seed are you? Have you fallen on rocky soil and just never understood what following Christ is all about? Did you once get excited about the possibility of following God, but fell away as soon as you ran into a problem? Have you just been more wrapped up in the concerns of this world and never been able to really grow? Or is your seed rooted so deeply, that you are now investing in others and planting seeds of your own? I pray, that today your heart is one seed closer to the right soil.
