Buddy

Okay, so this is Buddy. Maddie has been asking for a dog of her own for a long time. Well, we found out my nieces that live next door were getting a miniature daschund for Christmas this year and I finally got Michael to cave by telling him that no matter what else we got her, it wouldn't compare to what Katy and Brooke were getting. Buddy is about 8 inches long and about 3 inches high. He is the cutest and cuddliest little ball of fur, but he is a handful. Still, he is a handful that is well worth it. He brings Maddie such joy already and she only got him yesterday after school! I wish I had brought the camera to capture the look on her face when she saw him! She has carried him everywhere and I am not sure he knows how to walk anymore. Her comment to me was that he was the greatest gift ever and that she didn't need anything else for Christmas! The joy and happiness that were on her little face will not be something I will soon forget.

So, as I was thinking about her happiness and about Buddy this morning, I tried to think of things that brought me joy and happiness. Family and friends were at the top of my list, followed by an unexpected card or letter in the mail, and then of course all the little things that money can buy. But, then I got to thinking, those things are only temporal, fleeting, passing. My joy should come from knowing that Jesus died for me and that I am going to spend eternity in Heaven because He loves me so. Such a hard concept for me to grasp, why He would love me so, why if I was the only one here he still would have died on that Old Rugged Cross for me! Even still, so true! The love of God is forever, never fleeting, never passing. His Joy is to be our strength! Sorrow only lasts for a night and then Joy comes in the Morning! What better gift can we receive but the salvation and love that comes from knowing Jesus? What greater Joy can we find? I would be quick to say without a doubt that the answer is NONE! So today I am thankful for little Buddy because he has helped me to remember where my joy comes from, where my hope lies, and what my happiness is in!

Father God, thank you for Maddie and for Buddy. Thank you for all of the little things that remind me that my joy and my strength and my peace can only be found in You. In Your Sweet Name I pray...