“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:11, NKJ)

I like the new alarm clock.

I like the color.

I like the texture.

I like the interactive features.

I like lots of things.

I just wish I could reset her.

My morning started at 5:15 (two hours earlier than I’d prefer) with Penny’s whine. I hopped out of bed with a smile on my face and a song in my heart (okay, no hopping, no smiling, no song, but I did get out of bed—that much is true).

In two short days (and even shorter nights), my schedule has been changed—smashed, obliterated, crushed. My routine isn’t routine anymore. Nor is it mine, come to think of it.

So this morning’s new routine moved me from bed to outdoor swing in a matter of seconds. While Penny got down to business, I engaged the ONE in conversation. To be honest, at that hour, I didn’t have much to say.

But we had a good conversation anyway. The ONE has a way of showing me things and He showed me something today.

Through the interactive features of the new alarm clock.

Penny and I walked together. She trailed right behind me, got distracted, bumped into my leg then trotted alongside again. This was a show-and-tell moment where I took her to new places and showed her new things. I delighted in being her guide. I wanted to bring pleasure into her little puppy-dog world. And she obliged by bouncing, bumping, running, rolling, and generally lapping it all up.

I thought of two short phrases during that time. “If you being evil…” My Elder Brother has me pegged on that one. I may not act evil (I just tone it down to selfish, narcissistic, and self-centered which don’t sound so hot but nicer than evil). But I do think some really bad thoughts (not always but often enough).

“…how much more…” Look, even in my most corrupted-heart state of being, I can give thoughtful gifts. In a small way, I did that this morning walking the pup. In bigger ways, I do that for Ellen and others.

My Elder Brother suggests the ONE surpasses my generosity not by a little but by busloads. And He has to remind me of that because of my two trains of thought when it comes to the ONE.

Thought train #1: The ONE majors on my character.

Loosely translated, that means He sends

Trying times

Tests

Hardships

Hurricanes

Twisters

Sickness

Disease

Loss

Privations, pestilence, and pimples.

Thought train #2: The ONE minors in my pleasures.

Which means that He is a

Miserly

Mean

Demanding

Withholding

Rough

Hard to please

Nose to the grindstone

Stiff upper lip

Kind of God.

What my Elder Brother would say is, “Tom, you need to get off that train.”

And He’d be right.

Because I know how much my evil little heart enjoyed bringing pleasure to a puppy. Wouldn’t the ONE who created the world and filled it with puppies enjoy bringing me pleasure? After all, He’s the ONE who made me to experience pleasure in the first place. Only a miserable person would want to do otherwise.

Which fortunately He’s not.

Unfortunately, my way of thinking is.

Thus my need to travel farther down the road into the ONE’s heart and mind—and the need to continue on the JOURNEY HOME.

QUESTIONS: How do you view the ONE in your life? How does He demonstrate His generosity toward you?