Several years ago we adopted a dog from another family that was moving and couldn’t take him. He is a cute little mutt named Max and usually one of the smartest dogs I have ever seen. He loves to play with the kids and seems to think he is one of them. Max is about fourteen years old now and has slowed down considerably but still loves to go on long walks with us. When we let him off the leash he gets so excited he runs ahead of us until he is almost out of sight and then right back to us. Then he runs ahead again;  and back and forth and back and forth. We always laugh because for every mile we walk he must run at least two or three! By the end of the day he is worn slap out.

I know what it is like to feel that worn out. There were times I went through difficult seasons that just required all I had. Those were times that my circumstances were beyond my control and I just had to trust God as He used those things to refine my character and increase my endurance. Other times though, I have had to ask myself if being so weary or discouraged could have been prevented. Sometimes we flat disobey and stray from the path God has for us. Other times we are on the right path but we are so impatient we begin to look a lot like Max. We run ahead of God and have to come back to Him tired and humbled. It’s been a painful and embarrassing lesson at times but one I am so thankful that He has taught me. We aren’t big enough to interrupt or ruin God’s plans and purposes. But if we want to avoid finding ourselves worn out and weary under the weight of unnecessary burdens we would be wise to stick closely to our Master’s side.

“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”    -Galatians 5:25

I don’t know what a blog is, really.  I think it is people posting their thoughts, theology and sometimes tragedies for others to read.  I am not sure how often this devotional page will be changed but I hate ‘text here’ to come….so here goes.  My thoughts as they are this 29th day of June, 2011.

I am learning to text on my phone, very slowly and I don’t know the ‘lingo’ but am trying to learn.  A friend and I were texting back and forth recently and I texted her three letters, I thought everybody knew.  I had used the few text lingo I knew…btw, TyVM, 4ever, tmi and that is about my extent. At the end of our conversation I put the letters PTL.

She texted back, what is PTL?  I was shocked!  Believe me when I tell you that I could not believe she didn’t know what PTL meant.  The story does not end there.
I have a facebook account and was chatting with a young woman in our church and the exact same thing happened.  She made a statement and I commented PTL.  Her immediate message back…’what’s that?’  I thought right then, I need to educate this generation is what has been the text lingo before text was around.

Just in case you don’t know…PTL…Praise The Lord has been around longer than me and we need to know it, remember it and do it.  Do you agree?  This blogs serves are an educational tool for generation X and maybe Y and Z.  But PTL….it’s a good way to begin and end a day.

Carol Henschel

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