Daily Reading: Ephesians 5:18–21
Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything. (Eph. 5:19–20)
The rescue group didn’t know much about the little black and white Corgi, but we knew we wanted to give her a home. We named her Piper and took her to our veterinarian. He said that her limp came from a broken leg that had never been set. Other things showed she had been neglected: she kept to herself, didn’t play, and never barked. We needed to show Piper how to accept and return love. We gently patted and talked to her; we encouraged her with treats to come to us.
One day we came home to a surprise. Our other dog Amber was at the door, jumping and wagging as usual, but Piper was there, too. She can’t jump and has no tail to wag, but Piper found her voice. It wasn’t a bark, though. We looked down in wonder at the flute-like noise coming from around our feet and saw Piper, nose lifted, singing to us!
Piper continues to progress, but her singing remains one of our chief delights, because it shows her joy in knowing us.
We all have past experiences that affect how we handle relationships, but the Lord knows how to tenderly heal the broken places. As we mend, He welcomes each step of progress we make in our Christian walk, but He looks down in delight when we sing of our joy in knowing Him.
Bring joy to the Lord today. Sing praises to Him for His love.
Kathy O’Neill and her husband live in Oklahoma City, where she loves teaching about Jesus with illustrations.
