“This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Ps. 118:24 NLT)
I was lying in bed yesterday afternoon after a big dinner. The television had nothing on that interested me. The book I was trying to read seemed boring too. Finally I put the book on my chest, closed my eyes, and let myself drift off to sleep. Suddenly, I felt a huge, wet, tongue lick my chin, lips, and nose in one giant slurp. My eyes popped open and I saw our big, white dog, Fluffy standing there looking at me. His eyes seemed to be saying, “Why are you napping? There is so much we could be doing right now. There is so much fun we could be having. There is so much love we could be sharing.”
I smiled, petted his head, and scratched his belly while he grinned, wagged his tail, and panted happily. After a bit I got up, put on his leash, and we headed outside. The sun was breaking through the clouds and finally warming the cool air a bit. I laughed as I let him drag me around the backyard. He sniffed the grass, watered the tree, and then took in the daily dog news with his nose when the breeze picked up. After we went back inside we played fetch in the hallway for awhile. Then he jumped up on my bed and decided to take a nap of his own.
I sat beside him and petted his smooth coat while he serenely snoozed away. It seemed like even while he slept our beloved pooch never found life boring.
I think we all could learn a lot from that dog. In this life there is time for napping and time for playing. There is time for reading and time for doing. There is time for giving, laughing, and sharing. There is time to sing, to smile, to hug, and to dance. There is time to walk your dog and smell the flowers on the breeze. There is time to pray and thank God for all of your blessings. And there is always time to Love. But there is never time to be bored. God gives us only so many days in this precious life. Don’t waste a second of them on boredom.
Joseph J. Mazzella