Psalm 27:1, 3 The Lord is my light
and my salvation – so why should I be afraid? The Lord protects me from
danger – so why should I tremble? …. Though a mighty army surrounds
me, my heart will know no fear. Even if they attack me, I remain confident
5. Lucy always loved us unconditionally. She didn’t withhold love when we were not deserving.
Jeremiah 31:3 The Lord said to Israel, I have loved you, my people,
with an everlasting love. With unfailing love, I have drawn you to myself.
I John 4:19 We love him, because
he first loved us.
I John 3:1 Behold, what manner
of love the Father has given unto us, that we should be called the children of God!
God doesn’t love us because of anything we have done, he simply loves
us for who we are and because of who He is!
6.
Lucy took joy in life’s simple pleasures – and didn’t ask for much!
One of the core values of the Brethren in Christ is to live simply. “We value uncluttered lives, which free us to love boldly, give generously, and serve joyfully.”
Lucy was never caught up with keeping up with the Jones. A simple game of catch, being with her people in the back yard, a trip to the creek, an occasional car
ride, and life was good! It is such a gift to be content with little or much. There is great power in contentment.
Philippians 4:11-13 … I
have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or little. I know how
to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living
in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.
For I can do everything with the help of Christ, who gives me the strength I need.
7.
Lucy was a good companion - just
being together was enough.
We like to spend time with the people we love.
Some of the best evenings at our house is when everyone is in the living room together.
Usually, we are all reading something – and just enjoying the pleasure of each other’s company and small
talk. The silent times are good and comfortable, too.
God likes us to come into his presence and simply enjoy him.
Psalm 46:10 Be still,
and know that I AM God.
8. Money didn’t rule Lucy. She was not consumed by worldly “stuff”.
Matthew 6:19-21 Don’t store
up treasures here on earth, where they can be eaten by moths and get rusty, and where thieves can break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where they will never become moth-eaten or rusty and
where they will be safe from thieves. Wherever your treasure is, there your heart
will also be.
I Timothy 6:17-19 Tell those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which will soon
be gone. But their trust should be in the living God, who richly gives us all
we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and should give generously to those in need, always being ready to share
with others whatever God has given them. By doing this they will be storing up
their treasure as a good foundation for the future in heaven – so that they may take hold of life that is TRULY life!
9. Lucy didn’t grumble and complain. She simply accepted her lot.
Job lost everything and still refused to sin by cursing God. This has special
meaning to me. My father died of cancer, and it was a difficult and painful time. Yes, we had questions as to why this gentle man had to suffer so, why this godly man
who had given himself so freely to the Lord’s work had to die prematurely. But
ultimately, we had to trust that his life was in God’s hands, and God had the right to take that which he gave. These next two verses were read at my father’s funeral, and we as family stood
and confirmed “Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Job 1:20-22 “I came naked
from my mother’s womb, and I will be stripped of everything when I die. The
Lord gave me everything I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise be –
blessed be the name of the Lord!”
The apostle Paul writes that he was afflicted with a thorn in his flesh –
some painful thing or circumstance.
2 Corinthians 12: 8-10 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each
time he said, “My gracious favor is all you need. (My grace is sufficient for thee.)
My power works best in your weakness.” So now I am glad to boast
about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may work through me. Since I
know it is all for Christ’s good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions and
calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Lucy was not perfect however.
1.
She never could resist the cat food.
Lucy loved to have “house
time”. She never understood why those cats seemed to have more free reign
over the inside of the house. We did let her in at times, but the fact is she
was a groundhog hunter and usually smelled very doggy. The other problem was
that she couldn’t be trusted! She had an almost irresistible need to go
eat the cat food. She would come in, and sit at our feet. After a little while, she would nonchalantly get up as though she was merely checking out the décor. We knew that she would go for the cat food in the laundry room. She would amble down the hallway, or even go the long way around through my office, but we knew where she
was heading. If she got to the destination, she would quickly grab a bite. All we had to do was say “Luuucy!” and she would guiltily jump and turn
around as if to say, “Cat food? Oh, no, I wasn’t thinking about the
cat food. I was just going to see if the laundry needed changed.” Yeah, right, Lucy.
There are temptations in our lives that lure us strongly. Satan knows
where our weaknesses are, and will entice us to step out of line. Surely, this
one time won’t hurt. Surely, it’s not a big deal if I just watch
this one show, this one bit of porn, read this one racy book, smoke just one joint, step over the line just this one time.
The truth is, if Satan can get you to go over the line once, he will probably
have you where he wants you. He will entrap and enslave.
With Lucy, we simply tried to make sure that the laundry door was shut when she was inside. We helped her stay “honest”. In real life, it
is a good idea to stay away from those places where you are especially tempted. We
are not nearly as strong as we think! Like Joseph, it is always a great idea
to RUN from temptation.
I Timothy 6:11-12 You belong to God, so run from all evil things, and follow what is right and good. Pursue a godly life, along with Faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.
Fight the good fight for what we believe. Hold tightly to the eternal
life that God has given you.
2. Lucy had no grace for her own kind.
As much as Lucy LOVED humans
of all shapes and sizes, she was a real brat with other dogs. I do not believe
she would have ever hurt a human – a newborn baby could have been put right beside her and would have not been hurt. I had dozens and dozens of clients come each year, and Lucy never jumped up on them
or barked at them or threatened them in any way. In fact, one year, a bunch of
youth came and toilet papered our house in the middle of the night and Lucy didn’t even bark! She was delighted to have company.
However, Lucy would not allow another dog on her turf. Fortunately, we never had a doggy fatality, but we came close at least twice-both times with poodles! I believe Lucy would have eaten either of them if given a chance. Now granted, they were small dogs and perhaps Lucy thought they looked like groundhogs!
The point is, sometimes, like Lucy, we are very loving to the people outside
of our little world. We give more slack to people we know only casually, or perhaps
to those who not Christians. We try to understand them or be tolerant of them,
while we are hard on those in our immediate family or church for the same behavior.
I know that I struggle with loving Christians who behave badly; who I perceive should “know better”. I expect more of a fellow Christian. The
truth is we have all sinned and continue to fall short of the glory of God. While
it is right to hold our Christian friends accountable, it is also right that we must do so in love – knowing that we
will stumble and fall too. We need to freely extend God’s mercy and grace
to those around us – Christian and non-Christian alike.
Matthew 7:1-4 Stop judging others, and you will not be judged. For
others will treat you as you treat them. Whatever measure you use in judging
others, it will be used to measure how you are judged. And why worry about a
speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own eye? How can
you think of saying, “Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye” when you can’t see past the log
in your own eye?
Colossians 3:12-14 Since God chose
you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourself with tenderhearted
mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. You must make allowances
for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember,
the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. And the most important piece
of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect
harmony.
I’d like to share one last good
thing about Lucy. She guarded her territory.
She often stood at the edge of the yard and protected us all from some real or imagined danger. We were protected from deer, groundhogs, a turtle and even a skunk or two.
She barked and carried on to let us know we needed to be watching out! Lucy
stood firm - especially when her master was near!
We need to guard our territory – our walk with God, our hearts for God. We need to stand firm for the values we hold dear, that we know to be true. We need to stand up for Jesus, and not be sucked into the worthless things of this world. Fortunately for us, we don’t do this alone! We go forth
with the full armor of God.
Ephesians 6: 10-11, 13-18 A final
word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power! Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks
of the devil. Use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy in the
time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand
your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared. In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word
of God. Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.
Thus ends the lessons from Lucy! I
know that God cares for the sparrows, so I know that he cared for Lucy.
(This was originally written in the present tense, presented as a Sunday School
lesson to senior high youth in August of 2005. Lucy died peacefully the very
next day.)
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