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Progress, not Perfection

by Carolie Carlson

"I am confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. -- Philippians 1:6

 

--I was part of a study of the book “STEPS” with First Covenant last Fall. Between a seemingly short attention span and eyes that don’t work as well, doing the study took significant focus to finish. However, what a worthwhile study it turned out to be for me! The Holy Spirit is drawing me closer to God than ever before.

--The greatest takeaway for me is that God knows I will never reach perfection here on earth. His call to me is to make PROGRESS in loving attentiveness toward Him and toward others.

-- I’ve received a visualization that I review each morning. With the help of the Lord’s angels, I climb golden steps with diamond-studded railings, mount his gorgeous white horse behind him, and hug him tightly as he leads me through the day. This helps me be attentive to the Lord throughout my day. Also, God often brings a song to my mind as I awaken. The other day, the secular song “You’re Just Too Good to Be True” came – what a sense of humor the Almighty has! I’ve sung this song to Myron throughout our 57 years together. Now it’s taken on a new dimension as I sing it to the One who is my Greatest Love.

"You’re just too good to be true, Can’t take my eyes off of You,

You’ld be like heaven to touch I want to hold you so much . . . "

-- How I actually get up on the horse is through reading from the Bible and praying. In recent years, I’ve been a rebellious child in this matter. I thought I knew it all. And I didn’t want to become even more prideful by having a perfect record of daily devotions. The STEPS study helped me realize that I am powerless without Jesus, and I have to get up on that horse!

-- Then, as far as attentiveness toward others, I love how God is bringing opportunities to connect better with my husband, family, friends, and whoever else He brings onto the trail as I ride his horse with him.

I praise God for helping me understand I don’t need to be overwhelmed, depressed, and discouraged by how far I am from perfection in my life with him. With his help, I can make PROGRESS. That is what He wants!

Thank You, dear Lord, for the ways You speak to us. Thank you that you don’t expect perfection, but you help us make progress. -- Amen.

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A Summer with Ole

by Leonard Wickeraad

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." -- Matthew 5:16

 

-- I used to make farrowing crates. There was a fellow in Willmar who would weld them up for me. “Mr. Smith” moved up to a little town south of Wadena, running a restaurant, but he still welded the crates for me, and I would pick them up at his place.

-- One June, right after school got out for the year, I went up to pick up some crates and went into the restaurant to visit with Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Neither of them happened to be there, but one of their many children (Ole) was. Ole was about 12- or 13-years old and we got to talking. He said, “I’m so bored. I don’t know what to do.” I knew that one of his older sisters was married and living in Willmar, so I said, “Maybe you want to come home with me and then this weekend I’ll bring you over to your sister’s house.” I thought

we could find some work for Ole to do during the week and then his sister could bring him back home when she visited her parents. He immediately ran upstairs and came back down with a paper bag and some of his clothes. He was ready to go right then.

-- To my wife’s surprise, I brought Ole home for supper. He was quiet and obedient and seemed to enjoy being with us. I gave him work to do – painting the crates, mowing, and other general jobs – and he always did them well. On Friday, I brought him over to his sister’s.

-- On Monday, he called me. “I’m still here. My sister didn’t go home this weekend.” So, I picked him up, and he continued to work with me and live with us during the week. We bought him some more clothes and generally treated him like one of the family. Even though our children were younger, he said he liked being at our place. Every weekend I’d bring him over to his sister’s, and every Monday I’d go and pick him up again. This went on all summer.

-- When the fair was approaching, I needed some more crates, so I had to go up to the Smith’s to pick them up. I told Ole, “I can bring you home now.” He didn’t protest. We packed up his stuff and drove the pickup to the restaurant. When we got there, we didn’t recognize anyone in the restaurant. I asked the waitress if she had seen the Smiths. She responded, “No, we have no idea. I wish I did know.” Mr. and Mrs. Smith had

taken off, and no one knew where they had gone. Uh-oh,” I thought, “what do we do now?” I was able to get the phone number of another married sister living in the area, called her from the restaurant, and brought Ole to her.

-- I’ve often thought back on that summer and wondered if there was some kind of abuse going on by the parents. People never talked about things like that and it never occurred to me at the time. But I’m glad Ole had a good summer with us.

 

Lord, thank You for how You use us for good in other people’s lives. -- Amen.'

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Loving a Pet

by Greg Schlichting

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. --1 Peter 4:8

 

--In the late summer of 2020, my wife Diane and I lost Bailey. She was a twelve-year-old Lab, and such a good, friendly, and obedient dog. She developed seizures, which led to bowel and urinary issues, and we knew it was time to say goodbye. We had to put her down.

-- We’ve had about 12 dogs in the family, mostly Labs. Maybe a week or two after Bailey died, the house was lonely, and we knew that we had to get another dog. So, we started looking online. We picked out a lab puppy, and I drove down to get it, but the owner said I was too old. They didn’t say it right out, but that’s what we figured.

-- Eventually, we found a site in Fridley that had brought 30 dogs from a kill shelter in Oklahoma. They were selling them for about $700 each. We picked out two dogs to look at. One was big and beautiful, but not a Labrador Retriever. When we arrived at the Fridley shelter, there were thirty people in line to get a dog, but because we had registered in advance, we had priority.

-- Thirty of us sat on benches, and a lady brought in a female black Lab, about 4- to 5-months old but already 35 or 40 pounds. When this pup was taken off her leash, she came right over to us and jumped into my lap! I melted and looked at Diane. She shrugged as if to say, “Okay.” We knew she was our dog. She had been named Tesla, but we changed it to Tessa.

-- The shelter lady told us how to transport her, so we obediently kenneled her in the back seat of our club cab. As we drove, she was shivering like crazy, especially when we drove past trucks. We figured the ride in a truck from Oklahoma to Minnesota was quite scary for her. Pretty soon, we stopped on the side of the freeway and brought her into the front seat with us. She lay down in the blanket on Diane’s lap, and as we comforted her, she quit shivering and went right to sleep.

-- When we got her home, she started exploring each room. We expected to have to “potty” train her, but she never had a single accident. She knew she was home.

-- There were some surprises. About a week after she came home, Tessa barked for the first time. It sounded like a hound dog – more of a howl, really. We looked at each other: “What was that?” We now knew she wasn’t a full-blooded Lab. We researched, and we’re pretty sure she is a cross between a Labrador Retriever and a Pharaoh Hound. The Hound sound is unique. She talks to us a lot. Every day at walking time, she is right at my feet. She’ll make a low sound, and then suddenly – right on time, twice a day - a loud howl. “Let’s get going!”

-- Also, she is not that obedient. I could tell Bailey not to chase rabbits, and she would look at me and obey. Not Tessa. I can’t let her off the leash when we walk; she’s all over the place sniffing out every squirrel and rabbit. We never let any of our other dogs on the furniture. Tessa is right up there on the couch with me every day, leaning her cheek against mine when she can.

-- Her favorite show is “Lucky Dog,” a show about a guy who trains shelter dogs. Diane watches it every Saturday. Tessa jumps down off the couch and gets right up to the TV to watch those dogs. And I still can’t get her to quit jumping up on people, though she’s a lot better than at first.

-- We have been frustrated with Tessa more than all our other dogs, and of course, she can tell when she’s being a disappointment. But every day, she is a reminder of God’s loyalty and unconditional love. Regardless of how we have raised our voices at her, she curls up next to us. She always prefers cuddling with a person to being alone.

 

Thank You, Lord, for the love You give us through and for our pets.  Thank You for showing us Your character

through their loyalty and unconditional love. Help us to care for them the way You care for us. -- Amen.

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