I enjoy the companionship of animals. Right now I don’t own a pet but I was the affectionate owner of a Chocolate Lab named Jackson. I’m a product of the Folk Rock era and very much enjoy lyric driven music. So, when I got a brown dog I thought it would be cool to name him Jackson. (Millennials google “These Days”, JB.) Anyway, since I don’t have a pet I’ve sort of adopted some of the feral cats in the neighborhood. My neighbor and I  had the ones we could catch, spayed and neutered and reintroduced into our area. I’ve really grown attached to them but since they’re feral the relationship is totally different than when I had Jackson.  Like Jackson they hang out with me. One big, gray, fury one even waits for me every morning to come out on the deck and provide his treats for the day.

Here’s the hard part. He will get close to me but he won’t let me touch him. I learned this the hard way by reaching out with a treat and being rewarded with a sharp clawing to the hand. “No treats for you” that day! So, here’s the question. Is my desire to hold, pet and maybe brush this beautiful animal a desire for something less good than it would be with a tame house pet? Are we both diminished somehow by a different relationship than I would like? I think not. Often, God will provide us with opportunities that seem interesting or even exciting at first but don’t reach our initial expectation. We’re tempted to leave it, move on, maybe get discouraged. “It’s just not as good as I thought it would be.” I think we need to see these experiences for what they are. Good, sometimes enjoyable moments, that can enrich our lives to the degree that God has meant for us. Are you living this out in your life today? Is there something your experiencing that just doesn’t quite meet your initial expectation? Ask yourself these questions:

• Is it still good?
• Am I somehow enriched by it?
• Is God trying to teach me something in it?

If the answer is yes embrace it for what it is. Enjoy what you’re tempted to think is “less good” and after you’ve searched your heart use it for God’s Glory.