It seems silly to love my dog so much. This week, she has been SO incredibly good, and sometimes I'm just so proud of her I feel like my heart will explode. I want to talk about her all the time, but I know that it is a bit silly to love a dog so much.

And it makes me wonder how Jesus feels about my puppy. And how he wants me to feel about my puppy. She is such a blessing, such a miracle, so obviously from him. And if he cares about the sparrow, then surely he cares for her as well, but how much? How does she fit into the kingdom, and is it possible to love my dog too much? Am I wasting my love on foolish things, loving a creature who, quite frankly, doesn't have much purpose besides being cute?

And it makes me wonder about the Kingdom and what it encompasses. I think I spend so much time focusing on the importance of bringing people into the Kingdom that I forget what the Kingdom actually is. And, after finishing Lewis's Out of the Silent Planet last week, I'm starting to realize how much the kingdom is about enjoyment and beauty and fun. Nature, art, song, food, friendships, laughter... and puppies. Lots of cute puppies that wiggle when they see you and curl up on your pillow at night. I focus so much on the roles, the puposes and the tasks that I forget about the pure and restful enjoyment of being in the realm of God's reign.

And so maybe when I'm sitting outside on Corey and Sommer's picnic table, watching my puppy prance around with her tongue hanging out and a goofy grin on her face, I'm experiencing the Kingdom. It sure feels like I am... I just don't think I've been able to grasp the fact that God could be that good-- that he could delight so much in bringing us enjoyment. I think I see the Kingdom as an office we are called to come in to every day and, surrounded by a gray and dim cubicle, obey our daily commands. But maybe it is instead a world we are called to live in, a world filled with beauty and laughter, a world so sweet and so enjoyable that it makes us want to ask people to come in and join us.

That sounds really good to me. And it makes me see how much the enemy twists the truth in our minds. Of course Jesus is about beauty, of course His Kingdom is enjoyable... it seems so obvious now. But in our minds, we hear "that is selfish", "that has no purpose", "God isn't like that". I hate how we are lied to. I hate that we associate God with the dreary, burdensome things rather than the grand and exciting ones. I hate how we let satan steal so much of the glory of God in our minds and hearts.

But tonight when I go home, I'm going to delight in experiencing the beauty of Jesus through my Gracie Mae. And when she makes me laugh, makes me proud, or makes me really insanely happy, I will take joy in the fact that I'm experiencing what life is like in the realm of God's reign, where there is inexhaustible beauty and joy.