At the end of January we welcomed a ten-week-old puppy into our home, two weeks after the death of our older dog. I’d had a bad case of puppy fever for months but wanted to make sure I was mentally and physically prepared for the work and training that would be involved. Although we’ve cared for eight newborn babies, River is our first puppy.
Before we got her, I imagined our biggest worry would be sleep deprivation and that our precious pup would interrupt our rest multiple times per night with whimpering and potty breaks, but that only happened once. Our girl sleeps through the night like a champ!
While our nights are more restful than we expected, my days are lived at a level of vigilance I haven’t seen since our children were toddlers. River is either in my lap trying to chew my hands, my clothes, or whatever else she can reach underfoot or out of sight and is potentially up to no good. Some days, I’m so exhausted I wrap her up in a blanket, and we take an afternoon nap together on the couch. It’s amazing how little I accomplish these days.
In our pre-pup days, I studied a Bible verse during breakfast, summarized what I read in a journal, wrote out a meaningful verse in a second journal, and then read a short devotional from an additional book. This quiet time in God’s Word set the foundation for my day.
After multiple mornings when I spent more time removing River’s teeth from the ribbon bookmark hanging from my Bible than actually reading the Bible itself, I gave up on my usual routine temporarily. But I missed that dedicated time in God’s Word. Recently, when I started feeling a little overwhelmed and spiritually disconnected, I realized my personal worship might need to look a little different for a while.
I intentionally decided to focus more on music, which is easier than carving out a dedicated quiet time for Bible study while training an unpredictable, exuberant, and also adorable puppy. Songs written by man can’t substitute for the divinely inspired Word of God, but the Bible tells us we can — and should — sing His praises:
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
Psalm 100:1-2 (KJV)
The psalmists wrote songs to praise God and in remembrance of miracles from biblical times, like the parting of the Red Sea. Today, songwriters continue to praise Him with lyrics relatable to modern audiences, and many contain lines or phrases taken directly from Scripture. Songs from artists, like Lauren Daigle and Need to Breathe, help focus my mind on God.
And with how much time outdoors I now spend with this puppy, I am seeing with fresh eyes how even creation sings. Because the world is new to River, she’s distracted by singing birds, scampering squirrels, the sounds of barking dogs and honking horns. And it’s helped me to see familiar things with new eyes too: how moss looks more vibrant in the winter, where the water pools into puddles when it rains, how the perennial plants are starting to poke up through the soil.
I gravitate towards shafts of sunlight on chilly afternoons while I watch and wait for her to go potty. The warmth feels good as I turn my face towards it, whispering words of gratitude. Creation sings in harmony with the robins in my backyard, and taking time to appreciate the beauty of the natural world helps me focus on the One who made it.
Sometimes circumstances throw our regular routines right out the window, and we have to adapt. But if we seek God, we will find Him.
I know this period of puppy training won’t last forever. In a few months, I’ll hopefully have a housebroken dog and resume my usual morning routine. For now, I’ll focus on worshipping the Lord through song, raising my hands and voice in thankfulness for His faithfulness, and I’ll revel in the beauty of His creation, where He so clearly speaks to me.
Do you have a regular routine for personal worship? How have you changed it to adapt to a specific season of your life?
What we see as interruptions in our routine may actually be God’s gift to us to show us His vastness & creativeness. Maybe even expand our understanding of His character in a way our routines would never highlight. I’m behind in the scheduled reading challenge our church is following. I got behind as taking care of details for my Dad-in-love got overwhelming in his final days. I at first tried to catch up but quickly realized God was more interested in my spending time with Him in chunks of time I could focus not in my merely speed reading x number of chapters. He knows my plate was more jammed & isn’t grading me on chapters read. Seeing Him in the details. Leaning into Him for strength for each task & giving myself grace is more worshipful than checking off the to be read boxes. I’ll gradually catch up with the others taking the reading challenge but no deadline to do that & in the meantime He is still teaching me about Who He is & how worthy of worship He is!!!
Ruth, you are so right: “What we see as interruptions in our routine may actually be God’s gift to us to show us His vastness & creativeness.” I love this! He is everywhere, so it’s no wonder we can see Him in new ways when we look for Him in different ways.
So now the dog lover in me wants to know what kind of pup is River? We’re dealing with interrupted sleep with our Lab mix that is becoming stubborn(?) incontinent(?) willfully defiant(?) in his geriatric puppy ~15, years. Love him anyway! Seeing God’s grace & compassion toward us as we show grace & compassion to our “Stinker boy”!
I really enjoyed this post. You showed how there are other ways to incorporate God into your life. God may be wanting you to experience His presence in your life in a different way now. You’ve embraced that, way to go!
Thank you, Susen!
This so spoke to me. I have a 11 week old puppy who slept through for the first time last night . The last time we had puppies we had small children and it’s wasn’t such a shock. This time we have teenagers. I’m
also appreciating sunsets and sunrises I wouldn’t have otherwise seen and conversations I wouldn’t have had as people want to meet her. I love how God is in all
Anna, we have puppy twins! River gets her last set of shots tomorrow and then we’ve got the go ahead to take her to more places. I’m excited to take her on walks in our neighborhood. We kept my sister’s puppy for a while and taking her on walks started so many conversations with neighbors.
Yes! It’s about pivoting with the routine changes, not letting those changes defeat you! Always a helpful reminder!
So true, Christina! It’s easy to feel defeated when your regular routine won’t work, but there are things to be learned and appreciated if you need to change things up too.
Thank you! I am learning how to pivot, adjust, change, adapt, and be! Praise God for his goodness, mercy, and grace. The sunshine and the rain all help us to grow in the Lord. Amen, thank you Jesus!
Olivia, it sounds like you’re learning the beauty of flexibility. Blessings!
I NEED a regular routine….I’m so unfocused and lured away by internet.
I totally get it. I would decide on a reasonable routine and then leave your phone in another room. You can do it!
So timely! My routine flew out the window while coping with and learning about a health diagnosis for my husband. I have learned more than I want to know in a very short period of time. God has walked this path with us, answered prayer, and provided comfort in ways we could not have imagined. So for now we wait and monitor and my routine is beginning to fall into place again.
Donna, it sound like you were able to change your routine when needed and are starting to return to it. Blessings to you and your husband!
Thank you so much!
Dawn,
There is no right way to worship God. The easiest & one I most prefer is listening to Gospel music. I get my phone turned to Joy FM & let it play all day at work. That way I can praise Him while working. My pastor said yesterday that we should always have an attitude of gratitude. Waking up each day we should applaud God for another day, good health, etc. This am I did just that. While getting ready I quietly thanked God for a good night’s sleep, my health, job & His love. This world is so full of complainers & disunity. Even though I may be having a bad day I still decide to thank & praise God for the day & what His plans are for me.
Blessings 🙂
Beth, I try to recite Psalm 19:14 before I get out of bed in the morning: “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.” I don’t always remember, but when I do, it helps start my day right.
So needed this! I’m such a routine person, and when my routine is changed I’m so out of it. Just recently moved to a new state and started a new job. Trying to figure out my flow in this new life of mine. Thank you for the reminder of the little ways to see God!
Great post, Dawn! We have 2 new kittens so yes, I get the change of plans thing. It’s all good and everything is a season, whether long, short, or somewhere in between. Flexibility is so helpful! Blessings, my friend!
Every day on my way to and from work, which is only about 10 minutes, I listen to Carrie Underwood’s My Savior CD. I told my daughter it’s my time with God in the morning seek His blessings on my day and then to thank Him for those blessings.