Home Sanctuary

Serving, Not Servitude

 

My girls gave me a huge gift several years ago. They were home from college one week and they asked me a question that caught me by surprise. They asked,

 

"What can we do for you while we're home?"

 

They wanted to delight me. They wanted to serve me. They wanted to see me smile with happiness.

 

Oh, I smiled all right! They listed potential projects they knew I'd been wanting to get to but lacked the time and energy, but I knew immediately what I wanted to do with them.

 

Spruce up my bedroom.

 

I'd been eyeing a romantic paint color for quite some time, but painting is kind of a big job and well, I'm pretty tired by the time I finish working on other people's projects and just hadn't been able to set aside the time.

 

Those girls whipped into gear. They pulled the furniture out and prepped the room. They stared at the paint chips with me (I couldn't QUITE decide on the exact shade) and offered their opinions. They acted like there was nothing they'd rather be doing than helping me paint my bedroom.

 

They made me feel loved.

 

I finally decided on Sherwin Williams "Fashionable Gray" (a lavender gray) and within 4 hours we had knocked it out and put the furniture back in place.  Lauren even spray painted my "80's Ugly" headboard a slick black and breathed new life into it. We listened to a Miss Marple mystery on itunes as we worked and laughed and talked.

 

 

It was an afternoon to remember.

 

It's not often that someone really asks you from their heart how they can serve you. It makes you feel wonderful and special to be asked. And it goes straight to your soul when they act like they have nothing better to do than do something that makes you happy. I'll never forget it.

 

Today's Small Thing is to ask someone what you can do for them.

 

 

Think carefully who you'd like to ask and make sure you'll be able to follow through on it. As importantly as the task itself is the attitude that goes with it. Serving with joy blesses a person like nothing else. And it binds your hearts together in a very special way. I floated high from my daughters' actions for a long, long time. And I still enjoy seeing my lavender gray walls, six years later.

 

Little note: Sometimes, it feels like all we do is serve others. Serve, serve, serve. Blech. But there is a difference between servitude and serving. Servitude is being enslaved to someone or something more powerful than yourself. Serving, on the other hand, is a choice from the heart - a gift that helps, empowers, frees, and loves others. Don't you love that?

 

How will you serve today?

Do Pets Go to Heaven?

Flash started braying on Saturday, the first time in a long time. I know it's because he is lonely and is wondering where his companion, Penny, went. It was a sad, sorrowful sound.

Since Penny arrived, Flash had become quite content and quiet. He is such a social creature, and he loved having a friend out there with him every day. It seemed there was no need to call us to the fence for attention anymore....he was happy as a clam with that pony by his side.

The loss of my little horse and her foal this last week kind of knocked the stuffing out of me. Neither Tom or I thought anything like this would happen. And I won't go on and on about losing my animals, I promise.

But anyone who has ever lost a pet knows how you grieve, often unexpectedly, for the creatures that blessed your life - even for a brief time. I remember how I bawled my head off for days (ok, maybe longer) after each of our dogs died. Dear Lord, half the time I'd been annoyed by all the shedding, the barking, slobbering, the under-footedness of their existence. I was busy with real-life issues - work, kids, responsibilities - and they had seemed like *just another thing* to take care of.

 

Our dog, Beau, who was the best dog ever.

 

Until the time came to say good-bye.

And then the sadness hit me hard. I did not expect to grieve for dogs. I did not expect to miss them slobbering all over the windows and tracking dirt inside.

But I did. 

And I suddenly remembered all the love and sweet memories they gave me. How they never cared about anything but being a good companion, and wagging their tails at me, no matter how grumpy I was. And I feel grateful for that unconditional love - and the life lessons - that have come my way from these creatures that have been in my life.

Over the past couple of days, I've been touched by the sweet emails, comments and Facebook messages from people who understand that, although our pets aren't people, they are important parts of our lives.

 

 

Several of you mentioned that you believe that our pets go to heaven...and I wonder if I could open up the comments and let you share your thoughts on this.

Do you have a special pet that has touched your life?

Do you wonder about what happens to them after they die?

Does the Bible say anything about it?

Does it matter?

 

I'll be honest, I have not given this a whole lot of thought or theological research. But I have always believed that God cares about the creatures on this earth, and there are scriptures to support this. I would love to know your thoughts - and would love to have a thoughtful discussion about it.

Yes, maybe this is a #firstworldprob, and I know it is far less important than some of the horrific issues in the world. But perhaps this is something that we might talk about anyway. I'm curious.

 

What do you think? Do pets go to heaven? What is their purpose here on earth?

Please share, if you would like. I'd love to know your thoughts.

Sad News

Hi My Friends,

I've got sad news this morning.

It's been a hard weekend. Little Prince, the baby mule, didn't make it. He had seemed to be stablized at the vet clinic, even standing up and looking perky, but he suddenly stopped breathing and passed away on Friday. His lungs just weren't developed enough to sustain him - just as the vet had said might happen. We were called and given the news, as we had not yet brought him home.

And sadder still, his mama Penny suffered from complications, and we had to make the obvious decision to have her put down. So we lost both of these two sweet animals over the weekend.

I still can't believe it all. We were so hopeful that we'd have a little family: Flash, Penny and Prince. It hit me hard yesterday, and I mostly laid on the couch with my pillow and blanket and tea. I know that they are *just* animals, but it is still very hard to go through. I just feel very sad about losing them.

Thank you so much for all your kind wishes and prayers. It causes me to remember that God cares for "even the littlest of these" and makes me want to reach out to help ease suffering around me. There are people with situations that are so much harder than this, who grieve and suffer losses far greater. I'm reminded that our hearts can be broken, and how much it means to feel loved and cared for. I hope we did that for Penny and Prince in the short time we had them.

So sorry to start your week with this news. We had hoped for a happy outcome, but it was not to be, I guess.

Love, Rachel

PS I took down the photos of Prince from my blog and Facebook....I'm sorry, but they made me too sad to see them. Hope you understand.