Abigshag and Hume Lake Volleyball

Sam Talbert is our church’s resident Bible scholar and Pastor Emeritus. After retiring from the pastorate, he has continued to serve in a variety of roles, including on our elder board. Sam shared this devotional at an elder meeting recently, and I thought it was too good not to pass on.   

Throughout the Scriptures are passages that have caused me to scratch my head. One of these is II Kings 1. As you remember king David is old and near death and cannot generate enough body heat.  So, a young maiden named Abishag is hired to minister to him, even to share his bed to keep him warm.

The Race

I believe I hear a distant roar

A stadium full of witnesses

Not spectators but finishers

I hope they’re cheering for me

Because I can’t even see the tape

Maybe it’s yet a mile or ten

I’ve given up on any prize

I’m not even sure I can finish

I have to loosen the straps

And shrug off this pack of distractions

Slowing me down

It’s time to strip off

This stinking tangling robe

Tripping me up

But I hear the roar

And suddenly I know

It’s for another Runner, the only real Finisher

Who carried my weight and didn’t fall

Now I quit looking for a tape

Just let me see His face

And the joy He won

And so I run

I think He’s watching for me

I pick up the pace

Poor Fluffy

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I have a soft heart (insert your own joke here) towards pets, especially man’s best friend. I know by experience that the death of a pet brings genuine grief. My recent post about our dog’s demise will back me up on this.

I also know that some of us in the Pet Lover’s Fraternity may go a little overboard in the way we treat these furry creatures. And this is especially evident for people who are not pet people. They think we’re really weird and cannot imagine why we even put up with our animals in our home, let alone grieve for them when they're gone.

I get this perspective.