Reason #554
Aaron gave Scout a piece of popcorn tonight. When I got Scout, I was bound and determined that she would not eat people food. I didn't want a little beggar sitting at the table each night, plus, I felt like if she was supposed to eat people food there wouldn't be such a thing as dog food. Anyway, I seemed to be the only person who followed this rule, and so slowly, Scout has been given bits of people food. She is especially fond of cereal, chips, and ice cream, but she'll pretty much try anything given the opportunity. She still doesn't beg (yet), but she is great at giving you a sad little look that is hard to refuse.
Scout settled down beside my legs forgetting about the popcorn. Aaron reached over and picked up the bowl and quietly ate a few pieces. The moment she heard his hand grab the popcorn bowl, her little head shot up and she gave him the most longing, pathetic look she could. She watched his hand go from the bowl to his mouth, and you could see that she desperately wanted a piece, too. She finally walked over to him, and out of a desire to give her what she wanted, Scout got one final piece of popcorn.
I don't know that people food is THAT bad for dogs. I know people who have fed their dogs all sorts of scraps, and they are just fine. Scout is really tiny, so I feel like giving her people food might be harmful. Plus, looking at people in general these days, obviously there's something in our food that isn't really healthy. And I want Scout to be healthy. I want her to feel good and have a long, happy life. If I feed her calorie and sodium packed foods, I have a feeling that I might very well be the culprit in a potentially early demise. I realize Scout wouldn't mind one bit getting more people food, and she wouldn't even see an issue with it, but Scout only knows so much and I honestly think when it comes to food, I know what is better for her.
People food and sin can kind of be the same thing, right? Because both seem so good. We have one little taste, and we want more. We try more things, and the more we try the more we want to keep trying. We are curious. We want to know what it looks like, what it feels like, if it will be fun, or if it will be fulfilling. We just need one more bite to see if we really to like it. Just a taste, after all, it can't be that bad, right? But one piece and then another and then another and then another, and the next thing you know, you're dying a slow painful death. Maybe not a literal death, but the wages of sin is death, and so some sort of death will take place. You may kill a relationship, kill your life savings, kill your reputation, or kill your health. You may kill your career, kill your home life, kill future opportunities, or kill your witness. And so was it worth it? Was it worth it to keep looking to the world for something good, something fun, something new and exhilarating? Was it worth it to fill yourself with the things the world provides just because they bring instant gratification and temporary satisfaction?
What if you trusted the Lord and stayed in the parameters He set for His children? And when He said, "Hey, don't eat this. It's not good for you and it will ultimately take your life" you actually chose not to eat it because you really understood that He knows what's best for you even though this thing looks so gratifying and enticing. What if you chose life, and a good one? What if you realized that although the world presented these things to you as good, really they weren't? Really, they were just giving you what you asked for and disguising it so that you wouldn't see through the lies until it was too late? What if you really realized that all good things come from the Lord, and the things that anyone else offers you only pale in comparison?
Day in and day out, the Lord gives us good things. Yet so often, we don't recognize them because we're too distracted by the things the world has labeled good: money, relationships, careers, big houses, nice cars, an extravagant social life, cute clothes, designer handbags, incredibly worldly movies and shows, image, and power. We want what we shouldn't have and there's reason why we shouldn't have it. We blame Eve for taking that bite, but everyday you and I take a bite too. We try thing after thing and realize that we'll never be full because we're eating ourselves straight to death, one little temporarily yummy bite at a time.
Dog food is made for dogs, and dogs should eat dog food. It's specially formulated for them and has all the nutrients their bodies need to keep them alive and healthy. It's kind of a no brainer, right? But our lives should be that way too, honestly. The Lord has given us instructions, specially formulated just for us, to give us life, and we should follow them. The world will let you feast, and the Lord has prepared a table for you to come and feast. You are the one who gets to decide what you will eat.
#554 - Because He has prepared for us a feast of good things!
"You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy." - Psalm 63:5
Scout settled down beside my legs forgetting about the popcorn. Aaron reached over and picked up the bowl and quietly ate a few pieces. The moment she heard his hand grab the popcorn bowl, her little head shot up and she gave him the most longing, pathetic look she could. She watched his hand go from the bowl to his mouth, and you could see that she desperately wanted a piece, too. She finally walked over to him, and out of a desire to give her what she wanted, Scout got one final piece of popcorn.
I don't know that people food is THAT bad for dogs. I know people who have fed their dogs all sorts of scraps, and they are just fine. Scout is really tiny, so I feel like giving her people food might be harmful. Plus, looking at people in general these days, obviously there's something in our food that isn't really healthy. And I want Scout to be healthy. I want her to feel good and have a long, happy life. If I feed her calorie and sodium packed foods, I have a feeling that I might very well be the culprit in a potentially early demise. I realize Scout wouldn't mind one bit getting more people food, and she wouldn't even see an issue with it, but Scout only knows so much and I honestly think when it comes to food, I know what is better for her.
People food and sin can kind of be the same thing, right? Because both seem so good. We have one little taste, and we want more. We try more things, and the more we try the more we want to keep trying. We are curious. We want to know what it looks like, what it feels like, if it will be fun, or if it will be fulfilling. We just need one more bite to see if we really to like it. Just a taste, after all, it can't be that bad, right? But one piece and then another and then another and then another, and the next thing you know, you're dying a slow painful death. Maybe not a literal death, but the wages of sin is death, and so some sort of death will take place. You may kill a relationship, kill your life savings, kill your reputation, or kill your health. You may kill your career, kill your home life, kill future opportunities, or kill your witness. And so was it worth it? Was it worth it to keep looking to the world for something good, something fun, something new and exhilarating? Was it worth it to fill yourself with the things the world provides just because they bring instant gratification and temporary satisfaction?
What if you trusted the Lord and stayed in the parameters He set for His children? And when He said, "Hey, don't eat this. It's not good for you and it will ultimately take your life" you actually chose not to eat it because you really understood that He knows what's best for you even though this thing looks so gratifying and enticing. What if you chose life, and a good one? What if you realized that although the world presented these things to you as good, really they weren't? Really, they were just giving you what you asked for and disguising it so that you wouldn't see through the lies until it was too late? What if you really realized that all good things come from the Lord, and the things that anyone else offers you only pale in comparison?
Day in and day out, the Lord gives us good things. Yet so often, we don't recognize them because we're too distracted by the things the world has labeled good: money, relationships, careers, big houses, nice cars, an extravagant social life, cute clothes, designer handbags, incredibly worldly movies and shows, image, and power. We want what we shouldn't have and there's reason why we shouldn't have it. We blame Eve for taking that bite, but everyday you and I take a bite too. We try thing after thing and realize that we'll never be full because we're eating ourselves straight to death, one little temporarily yummy bite at a time.
Dog food is made for dogs, and dogs should eat dog food. It's specially formulated for them and has all the nutrients their bodies need to keep them alive and healthy. It's kind of a no brainer, right? But our lives should be that way too, honestly. The Lord has given us instructions, specially formulated just for us, to give us life, and we should follow them. The world will let you feast, and the Lord has prepared a table for you to come and feast. You are the one who gets to decide what you will eat.
#554 - Because He has prepared for us a feast of good things!
"You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy." - Psalm 63:5
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