~ Loyalty to Our Master ~

I think I have one of the craziest dogs alive! Louie, our Golden Retriever, is truly “one-of-a-kind”! Right after we moved back from our time in Florida, Ben and Callie were begging for a dog. We had a great big, fenced in, back yard now and they were dying for a “four-legged friend” to run around with. I am not a huge animal lover, but I do like dogs. Having animals is a huge responsibility and of course most of that responsibility rests on mom’s shoulders. After much begging and pleading on their part, Matt and I gave in and decided to get a dog. Then we had to make a decision on what kind of dog to get, big or small. I, of course, was all for a small dog but everyone else didn’t care, they just wanted a dog.

One of Matt’s co-workers at the time lived in Greenville, SC and had a 4-month-old Golden Retriever puppy that he was training. He was struggling because he and his wife both travelled so much and were leaving their little puppy at the kennel quite a bit. They decided to find a family that would love on this dog and make them part of their family. Well, guess which family that was? Lol! They drove up from Greenville and let us meet “Louie” and the kids fell in love with him instantly. He was not a little, tiny, puppy. At 4-months-old he was already bigger than Callie! But he was super sweet and already trained very nicely, which I was excited about! So there we were, dog owners! Over the last 5 ½ years that Louie has been part of our family, he has really proved to be a “one-of-a-kind”!

It is funny how I am not the one that really wanted a dog, but he sure does stay right at my feet. Matt calls me the “Dog Whisperer”! lol! Louie follows me around and even sleeps right on my bathroom floor or at my bedside. One of the funniest things Louie does, is that he will not eat his food unless someone is in the kitchen with him as he eats. It doesn’t matter how long it has been since he has eaten, he will not stay in there by himself. I try to sneak out of the room but he will just follow me out and leave the food he was just feasting on. Crazy! That really shows what a loyal dog he is. Even now as I type, he is sitting at my feet on the front porch.

I began to think of our loyalty to our Master. Are we so loyal and in love with our Master that we long to be at his feet? Do we need him there as we feast on everyday life no matter how bad we want something? Do we overlook how busy we are or how distracted we are and just sit at Jesus’ feet?

The story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10 is another one of my favorite “teachable moments”. Wow! You have Martha busy in the kitchen trying to be the “hostess with the most-ess” and then there is Mary, I can just picture it now, sitting right at Jesus’ feet grasping at every word that comes out of his mouth. Why? Because she knew this was her Master and the preparations could wait. What he had to say and being in his presence was exactly where she needed to be at that moment. There is power at the feet of our Master! I get a little tickled when I think about Martha running around getting everything together probably just a grumbling under her breath that she is doing all the work and Mary is just sitting there being lazy. Ha-ha!

Finally, she had enough and went to Jesus and said in verse 40,“Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

I love it! Growing up in a house with three sisters, there were a lot of those statements to our parents! Lol! Martha’s intentions were to have everything in order, but Mary’s intentions were for the soul. She was so loyal and in love with her Master that it didn’t matter to her what else was going on, she was grasping the moment of being in his presence. I love what Jesus response was to Martha in verses 41 and 42. “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Mary has chosen what is better! In this day and age of being so extremely busy, God has really shown me to slow down and sit at his feet. This has been a hard thing for me because my life, especially over the last five or six years, has been a whirlwind of busyness. But when you sit at your Master’s feet and listen intently to what he is trying to tell you, you realize that there is no better place to be! It caused a lot of soul-searching about priorities and reevaluating where I needed to be and what I needed to be doing. My life is for my Master! Listening, obeying, and allowing him to remove things in my life has been a, sometimes painful, but, necessary part of growing in him. We all have areas in our lives that are taking away time from sitting at our Master’s feet. The question is, are you going to allow God to remove the areas that need to be removed, as painful as that can be, or are you going tell God that you are too busy and these things can’t be removed? Are you going to be a Martha, (“But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.” Luke 10:42) or are you going to be a Mary? (“Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.” Luke 10:39) These are questions that I have had to confront in my own life and feel as though many need to be asking themselves the same questions. Dig deep and be honest about what your real priorities are. That is where it begins!

I think we can all learn a thing or two from our furry little friends and their loyalties to their masters, but the bigger lesson comes from dying to self (Luke 9:23,“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”) and putting our Master and his desires in the forefront of our lives!

Lord, what an honor and a privilege to sit at your feet! As I listen and cast all the distractions of everyday life aside, your voice is what I long for. Just being in your presence is the fuel I need to continue the work you have begun in my life. My desire is to continually sit at your feet as you guide and direct me through this beautiful journey of life. May I always be ready and prepared to obey your will as you pour out your Spirit on me. Lord, give me the strength to resist temptation as unnecessary busyness begins to creep in and follow the example of Mary as she was at total peace at your precious feet. My loyalty is to my Master, my Savior, because you are the Giver of Life!

Your Child,

Allison