Eating Away

I have a t-shirt that I just love. It is brown with a pink flower on it and it says "b-dffrnt". I love it because as much as my differences, my personality, sometimes becomes this hated thing that prevents me from socially belonging, at other times I can see that it is how God created me - that He designed me the way I am and it is "dffrnt" from most others I know. To Him it is good, pleasing and perfect. So every time I wear it, I'm reminded to take joy in my uniqueness. Well, yesterday I was picking up clothes in my room and picked up this t-shirt only to find with horror that our 1 year old puppy, Maggie, must've found it to be a good chew blanket because she chewed a hole in the shoulder! I was soo angry with her and with myself for not putting away my clothes and angry that one of the few shirts I love to wear is ruined! This morning, during my quiet time with God, my thoughts strayed to my "holy" t-shirt and the Holy Spirit spoke into that situation. He whispered, "Charli, can you see how your relationship with me is like that t-shirt? You love it, you find joy in it, you desire to be wrapped up in it, yet sometimes you don't care for it like you should. How many times have you left our relationship wadded up on the floor for the enemy to come and chew holes into it? You've wasted so much emotion on a hole-ridden t-shirt, but how do you react when the enemy has whispered lies into our relationship and created holes between us?" This morning I am overwhelmed with the desire to never carelessly leave my relationship with my Father on the "floor" of my life, to never give the enemy an opportunity to destroy that which is more precious to me than breath.