Leader Dog for the Blind

27
Oct
2021

Persistent and Compassionate

I like a good story. I think we all do. We love the height of suspense in a mystery. The thrill of accomplishment when the underdog rises up and does something great. We love the sweetness of a romance that blossoms and grows. We all love to watch a story about a dog. (What is it about those sweet puppy faces that strikes us at the very root of our hearts? I wish I knew the answer to that, but that is what keeps me coming back to raise another puppy for Leader Dogs for the Blind.)

When we read a good story or we watch a good movie, don’t we sometimes want to tell the characters what to do or how to respond? We want to tell them what is lurking around the corner.

I just finished reading through Kings and Chronicles in the Bible. There is a constant theme throughout these books. You will either see “and they did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” Or they did what was right in the sight of the Lord.” The latter is not seen as often as the former.

As I finished up II Chronicles, I read an amazing verse.

“The Lord, the God of their fathers sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place.” (II Chronicles 36:15).

What do we notice about God in this verse? He is persistent and compassionate. God never gives up on His people.

As we read through Kings and Chronicles, we see that God allows His people to suffer because of their sin. He punishes them for the sinfulness of their ways. They reap the consequences of their choices. They experience hardship in so many different ways because of their sin. They experience famine, invasion, captivity, plundering of their goods, heavy taxation and rule by their very own kings, etc. They saw their children being taken away into captivity because of the sinful choices they made.

But God…He never stopped loving them. He never stopped pursuing them. He never stopped sending messengers to remind them of who He was.

He never stops having compassion on us.

In our relationship with God, are we selfish?  Do we pray through our list of requests, never thanking Him for the things He gave to us the day before?

Do we see people running from God and think to ourselves, “that’s too bad?” or do we cry out to God on their behalf asking Him to continue to have compassion on them. Asking Him to work in their hearts and lives and not stop sending to them messengers. Maybe we are the messengers.

The prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) remembered the kindness of his father. His father never stopped praying and watching for his son to come back. God kept watching for the children of Israel to come back to Him. He never gave up on them.

Do we give up? Do we wonder when to stay on the porch as the father in the prodigal son did, and when to chase after the wayward son?

God is faithful. He never stops loving us and having compassion for us, even when we go astray. Yet, He never forces us to love Him. He never forces us to serve Him. He never forces us to follow after Him. He doesn’t beg and plead for us to yield our whole hearts to Him, yet He tells us that if we do we will find so much more peace and joy.

We like a happy ending. No one wants the dog to die at the end of the movie.

God also wants each of us to have a happy ending. He knows that the only way for this to happen is to follow Him. To seek His face. To fear Him.

Where are you in your walk with God? As a believer, we are on a journey. This journey is called progressive sanctification. We will never arrive until we get to heaven.

Do you need to make that journey back home like the prodigal did? The compassionate and persistently loving Father is waiting for you.

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in The Seasons of Motherhood, 0 comments
02
Oct
2019

A Few Months in Review

It’s been a few months since I have written and posted anything. It’s been a busy summer and now we are already into fall. Our oldest daughter graduated from Cedarville University, married her sweetheart, and moved out of our home and into an apartment with her husband. She started her first adult job, and calls often for a mom listening ear and even a little bit of “life lessons from Mom.” I love every minute of those times with her.

Our second daughter started her senior year at Cedarville University after working a full summer of landscaping. We enjoyed competing in a triathlon together this summer and encouraging each other to strive to go just a little bit faster and stay faithful in training. She doesn’t call quite as often as her older sister, but when she does there are always many stories to relate and much to keep up on. Our last conversation lasted 1.5 hours. It is a good thing I didn’t have anything pressing to do at that time. I learned that lesson from my mom and dad. Whenever I call, my parents always have time for me. I have always appreciated that about my parents, so I have tried to make that happen when my girls call. It does not always happen, but I try to put aside what I think might be important and make them the most important thing at that time.

Our third daughter started her sophomore year at Cedarville University. She spent the summer working for her dad (and my husband:)) at a hunting company and also taking a summer class. I enjoyed being able to sit by the pool with her this summer while she worked on her class, and I worked on a myriad of projects. Once our girls have gotten older, it has been my goal to orient my schedule so I could be home as much as possible when they were home. I wanted to always be available in case they needed to talk about something. Plus, now that they are gone more than they are home, I wanted to be able to be with them as much as possible. I enjoyed cooking their favorite foods for them, and adapting things to fit new found allergies that surfaced this summer.

I have been busy working as a nurse and a realtor. I have also been working towards becoming a certified Biblical counselor (Association of Certified Biblical Counselors-ACBC formerly NANC). This process has taken a lot of spare time, but I am excited to have submitted the requirements for step one. Once all my exams have been graded and I pass, I will do 50 hours of observed counseling. I have wanted to be a counselor for over 20 years, and now God has placed this before me at this time in my life. I am excited to see the path this will take.

Another important part of my life for the last year has been my Future Leader Dog puppy, Millie. On August 23, she went back to Leader Dogs for her formal training. Our house has been quiet without her, but there is a lot less hair and slobber that I have to clean up. I eagerly await any updates about her progress.

This has been my life for the last few months. I am excited to start writing and blogging again. I have missed writing the lessons God has been teaching me, but have been focusing my writing time on answering questions for my counseling exams.

I am excited to spend time with my girls this week as we go to Cedarville University for parent’s weekend and homecoming. I think next year will be my 30 year reunion. Hard to believe it’s been 30 years since my own days at Cedarville. God is so good to me.

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in The Seasons of Motherhood, 0 comments
12
Mar
2019

Millie learning come

Millie is our 6 month old Leader Dog for the Blind.  Today, we went outside in the snow on her long leash.  She had the opportunity to run, sniff multiple different smells, and then come when called. Listening is an important skill for a Leader Dog. No matter what she may be doing she needs to listen and obey. Being able to put aside her inner dog and listen is an important trait for a Leader Dog. She was able to run, find sticks, and smell various animal smells such as the deer trail that runs through our yard.  She did not come the first time, but with a little reminder from the leash and a reward at the end,  this important skill was reinforced.

Watch the video below and see Millie’s Minute on come

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in Millie's Minute, 0 comments