I’ll admit that my animals primarily show up in my blog posts because of something crazy or naughty they’ve done.  That’s especially true with Maisy who has been the “Champion of Challenges” since Day One.

But this week I want to shine the light on one of the qualities that I love the most about her.  As the title alludes, it’s her bounce-back ability.  Dictionary.com defines it as “the ability to recover after a setback.”

This past week, I had a really full schedule with something almost every night of the week, and lots of daytime commitments as well.  That left sweet Maisy home by herself for hours at a time.  And now that Winnie and Max are gone, she has no one else to keep her company.

But rather than give me the silent treatment, or the cold shoulder, or destroy my property, she is immediately joyful when I walk through the door.  As soon as I sit down, she’s on my lap with her chew bone.  Within seconds, that’s all she needs for life to return to perfection – Mom and the bone.  Ah, to be a dog some days!

In my more-complicated human world, I’ve been struggling with a litany of challenges and, simply put, hard stuff over the past few months.  As the holidays approach, those hard things are amplified because of the expectations accompanying this season.

So how do I handle these consecutive disappointments? I am often weighed down by them to the point of deep discouragement.  I seem unable to rise about the despair, especially if I haven’t “recovered” from the last one when the next one hits. I struggle to find joy in my life because I’ve allowed the disappointments to outweigh the blessings.

As I marveled at Maisy’s “all’s well with the world” attitude during her lonely week, I had to question why I wasn’t displaying the same joie de vivre that she had.  Oh sure, I realize there are myriad differences between canine and human emotions, and our ability to comprehend or analyze them. 

But God was tugging on my heart strings and challenging me to consider what exactly was getting in the way of my joy.

I could get all complicated with that answer and give you a long list of bullet points and scriptures as I so often do, but I’m going to simplify it this week.  We all have enough going on in our heads right now!

Just as Maisy only needed me and her chew bone to find complete contentment, God was asking me what two “things” did I need in my life to go from deep discouragement to overflowing joy and gratitude.

I did not have to ponder this question long before the answer became crystal clear. 

I needed God and the Bible, his Word.

Where can every bit of comfort be found? 

Where can I go when I need to cry out in my heartache?

Where can I find words of encouragement to keep me moving towards the heavenly prize?

Where can I read story after story of people who have emerged from their own despair into the joy of the Lord?

Where can I find promises that I will never walk alone?

Where can I experience the power of the Holy Spirit filling me with everything I need?

Where can I find full assurance that God is using every moment of pain for my eventual good, and his glory?

Need I go on?  The answer is a resounding, “God and the Bible!”  It doesn’t need to be complicated.  We just have to be obedient and know that every answer we need, every reason for hope, every tear that is collected, every promise we long to believe, are all found through God and his Word.

Did this revelation immediately lead me to overflowing joy?  It did not.  However, as is so often necessary, it changed my perspective and helped me look more biblically at this challenge.  It set me on the right path.

As the tempo of this holiday season ramps up, and with it, the opportunity for circumstances to take a bad turn and cause you heartache, may you remember this photo of Maisy and her {weaponized} chew bone, and turn to what will never fail you – God and his Word.

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you

will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1:6