If you’ve been around these parts for a while, you might remember that we had a golden retriever named, Maverick. Yep, you read that right. Had.

Sadly, we had to rehome him this year due to some growing food aggression. And with little kiddos who are constantly holding food at his level, it was a bad situation for all parties. Fortunately, we found a fun and lovely empty nester couple who do not constantly walk around with snacks at snout level, and he is getting ALL the attention as their one and only baby. We miss him…a ton. But it provided freedom for everyone.

This month, my algorithm started planting puppy pictures on my social accounts. Then a friend told me about their sweet German Pointer puppy. One thing led to another, and I was googling puppies.

But then I got to thinking. The Lord knew that we were entering a challenging season this fall with two surgeries, an early crawler, and some challenging work situations. And in the midst of that, we didn’t need to stress about food aggression, extra hair all over the floor, or another body in the house to take care of while recovering from surgeries.

As much as we miss Maverick, the Lord knew timing best. And while I love the IDEA   of a dog, I don’t love the PRESENCE of a dog right now. The relationship requires commitment from me. It’s a commitment that sounds great when looking at cute puppy photos, and is much more difficult in our current season of life.

Why do I share all that? It actually made me realize that sometimes I like the idea of God, but I don’t always make time to sit in his presence. But y’all, his presence is always a GIFT. I come to him drained, and he provides me with his strength. I come overstimulated (hi, mom life), and he meets me with peace. I come to him weary and he grants joy that doesn’t match my circumstances.

As we sink into Christmas season, that’s my prayer for you and for me. That we experience the gift of God’s presence. That we make time to turn on the tree lights, grab a warm drink and cozy blanket, and sit and savor who He is and all He has done. What a joy and wonder to celebrate that the God of the Universe sent His Son as a baby to be the Savior of the world! Merry Christmas, my friends.

Oh, come let us adore him!