Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.
James 4:8a
My incredibly adorable dog Caroline has truly been a gift to me. She has brought immense joy to our home—and she’s taught me a lot, especially about being thankful. Caroline also rarely leaves my side. The first thing she does when she wakes up (after sneezing and rolling around like a goofball) is look for me. While I sit at my desk in my home office hour after hour, she is lying right next to me. If I’m on the couch in the evening, she’s at my feet. (She used to be on the couch with me, but I’ve recently banned that practice with our new furniture—much to my husband’s chagrin.) And when I walk to the bathroom, she follows, nudging the door open, when possible, to be sure she can see me. In the kitchen making lunch? She’s underfoot. She loves me (in the ways a dog can), stays close to me, keeps her eyes on me (when she’s not snoozing), and gets a little panicked if she can’t find me. My husband has taken to mimicking a could-be Caroline voice saying, “Mommy, mommy! I only need mommy!”
Recently, as I’ve been focusing on abiding more closely in the Lord, another lesson from Caroline bubbled up in my mind and spirit, connecting her clinginess to me with my own relationship with Jesus. So, I started asking myself some essential questions—let’s consider this together, shall we?
- As soon as I open my eyes in the morning, do I seek the Lord?
- While working and in meetings throughout the day, am I staying in God’s presence so to influence every thought, word, and action?
- Do I consider Jesus sitting next to me on the couch as I hit play on that Netflix series?
- Is God my refuge—my safe place—so that I know “the nearness of God is good for me” (Psalm 73:28)?
- Would I panic if I find myself out of God’s presence—and do I immediately focus on setting my eyes on Him? And are we calmed in His presence?
Wow. If I clung to the Lord in the same way Caroline clings to me—oh, the sweet contentment and joy! So, let’s be like my rescue dog! Grateful every moment for being saved from darkness and death into glorious light and life (Ephesians 2:1-10; Colossians 3:15; James 1:17). Keeping our eyes on the One who is sovereign over our lives (Psalm 103:9; Romans 8:28). Being calmed and quieted by His love (Zephaniah 3:17). Drawing near to God to experience His nearness to us (James 4:8a).
As Christians in the New Covenant, God is near—in fact, He dwells in us (John 14:23; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20)! Can’t much closer than that! But we must choose to abide, to surrender to the Lord’s presence and power in our lives. We must keep our eyes on Him at all times. Just like Caroline.
Lord, may I always abide in Your presence, knowing that my peace, hope, confidence, and every good gift comes only from You.
encouraged by grace 
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