Fingerprint Friday: Dog Hair?

By Ginny (MAD21)

So I asked my husband where he saw God's fingerprints today. His answer may surprise you. I know it did me. In fact, it took me about 15 minutes before I understood what he was trying to say.

He began speaking about the newness that spring brings... The leaves are full and the shadows are darker now because the leaves on the trees are almost fully grown. But leaves and colorful flowers appearing are not the only sign of renewal. They also appear in the most unlikely (and annoying) of places. Like our carpet.

My husband said that while most people think that piles of dog hair all over the carpet is just a sign that it isn't cleaned often enough (it is if you ask me!), he thinks that it also symbolizes something else.

Dog owners know that during spring and early summer, in just a matter of minutes, the carpet you just spent a half hour vacuuming can once again be covered in dog hair. One tummy rub, one romp on the floor wrestling around can result in a blizzard of hair with piles of fur left behind (much to my dismay!).

My hubby says we can also think of shedding season as a life-lesson, and see it for what it really is (me: a mess? more work?). He said, dog's also get to experience renewal. A fresh coat. A new start.  Shedding the old and growing new. Some dogs experience continued renewal (i.e., shed all year, no thanks!), others experience dramatic renewal (i.e, nothing and then all at once = lots of time outside!). We should recognize God can do the same thing in all of our lives. Continued renewal by fixing the little day-to-day things, as well as sudden moments of change.

As funny as it was to think my husband was seeing dog hair all over the floor as one of God's fingerprints, I'm thankful that he is someone who can see something funny, and something we can learn... and recognizes the fact that it's nearly impossible for me to keep our floors clean this time of year.

Ok, lesson learned... I'm off to vacuum... again.

Fellow blogger Beki at The Rusted Chain has a really great weekly post she does every Friday called "Fingerprint Friday." We are to look around and see where we can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Anywhere? Go find out where Beki saw God this week, and be sure to check out the other bloggers who linked their stories as well.

One Word At A Time: Renewal

By Ginny (MAD21)

When I heard our word for the carnival this week was Renewal, the first things I thought of were library books and subscriptions. When I asked my friends what the first thing they thought of when they heard the word, I got: another opportunity; freshness; auto insurance; vows; Oil of Olay; and spiritual. If this were one of those psychological analysis tests, I'm not sure what this survey would say about each of us, but I suppose it at least gives a little insight to where each of our minds were at the time.

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21)

A few weeks ago we got a letter in the mail from a missionary couple we help support. They are friends we love dearly who are life-long missionaries. At one point they lived in Kenya providing medical support for the Masai and have made several trips back since then. More recently they took a trip to India. We also get newsletters from ministries like Samaritan's Purse, World Vision and Compassion. The best part of receiving these support letters and newsletters is that we get to hear updates on all the things people have been doing for the year.  The many ways that Jesus is showing his love through the service of his people.

But these letters also provide something else. Because we want more than to just know what other people are doing in the name of Jesus. We want to know what our family can do to help support these ministries. These letters provide an opportunity to recommit. To reinvest. To renew our family's vision to help those who need it and share the love of God to our neighbors whether they are next door or across an ocean.

This post is a participant in a blog carnival over at Peter Pollock's place.
Be sure to go and check out what everyone else wrote on: Renewal.