Guest Author: Liz Holt
It took me two and a half weeks, after our five labrador puppies were born on June 11, to fully realize what I had signed up for way back in April, when we bred our black lab. It was a summer of exhausting chaos!
The Holts have had puppy litters before, when we had seven children still living under our roof–many hands made lighter work. Now it was just a few of us managing five explosive, exuberant fur balls, along with all of the other responsibilities we carry.
I remember putting my head down on folded arms at our patio table after intense puppy care and feeling resentful toward myself that I had chosen lovely summer days filled with rescuing fur balls from the haunches of a careless mother all hours of the night, making sure they were nursing well, and cleaning up excrement several times a day. How could I be this half-witted?
Fortunately, I have lived long enough to know that we CHOOSE joy, and it doesn’t come from our circumstances. I drew close to my heavenly Father, praying, Since I can’t opt out of this situation now, I CHOOSE JOY AND LEARNING every moment of Fur Ball care for the next five and a half weeks. Take over!
I announced to Steve that I had made a commitment to be in this puppy season with JOY at all costs, whatever that means. Right away I was tested. It seemed like I had been working the last few days more than my “teammates.” I was about to air an energetic complaint, when the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart, Are you still allowing yourself to complain? I had just read in Philippians 2:14-15, “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.”
The Holy Spirit impressed upon me that since I still used the device of complaining to get my way, I was forfeiting opportunities to be a light. As I angrily stared at the messy whelping pen I needed to clean, I asked the Lord, If I can’t complain, what else can I do?” Surprisingly, He replied, “Go the extra mile. WHAT?!?
But that gradually made sense to me. When we have negative energy, we need to funnel it somewhere. I heartily embarked on cleaning the pen and also on a few extra tasks to bless my household. All of the sudden, I was flooded with intense joy. WHAT?!?
Because of these five prancing fur balls, I had countless opportunities in the last few weeks to choose complaining or joy. I have begun to despise my old habit of complaining, and more than ever desire to be a light instead.
Yesterday, all of the puppies went to their new great homes. I am weepy thinking about them even as I now write. A piece of me goes with them and a piece of them stays with me. They were a part of changing my life, helping me become more like Jesus, helping me offload complaints to choose JOY. Lord, bless their new homes and help me stay LIT right here.
Liz Holt
Women’s Director
