I Got Issues.
There, I admit it. I have issues. Truthfully, we all have issues. (Whether we admit it or not). Some issues are more serious than others. Some are more on the medical side of things. Some are even more socially accepted then others. For example, it feels like physical issues, or disabilities, are more accepted then say mental issues. At least they seem to be received better from society. I think sometimes if we can’t “see” the issue with our own eyes, it’s hard for us to believe it exists. For instance, physical issues such as inability to walk, are obviously seen better then emotional or mental issues such as anxiety. I struggle with anxiety myself and even I don’t always see the significance of that issue in other people. In my mind I am thinking thoughts like, “why don’t they just get over it,” “why can’t they pull themselves together?”, “pull your socks up and get after it!” (OK, that last one is what my college baseball coach used to say, but you get the point). The truth of the matter is mental and emotional issues are every bit as real and can be just as debilitating as the physical issues.
The picture above is my dog, Rico. Last year, January 13, 2021, in the midst of COVID, my wife and I made a decision that was significant for us. In a quarantine moment, we decided to foster a dog with the intent of adopting it from a local dog rescue. Rico, we were told, was a 2-year-old male Jack Russell mix. We were also told that he had a tendency to be “snarky” to people in uniform. (Mailmen, UPS, etc…). It should be noted that we had never had a dog for very long and we had never attempted to have an inside dog. To make a long story short, Rico has issues! We found that out almost immediately. He is not “snarky” towards certain people. He simply does not trust anyone he does not know. He didn’t even like us for the first several weeks. He had lived in the shelter for over a year with no families interested in adopting him. I guess because of his issues.
Having Rico around has had a major effect on my life. Not only because he is my shadow and goes wherever I go, but because it has caused me to see God in a different way. You see, Rico wasn’t wanted because he has issues. Probably due to mistreatment in his past. But I have issues too, and God still desires a relationship with me. Issues and all!
After a year of being a part of our family, Rico still has some issues, but he has come a long way. And I can’t imagine him not being a part of our family. Sometimes when I look at him, I wonder if I see him the way God sees us. Sometimes, because of his issues, Rico is hard to love. Because of my issues, God should have difficulty loving me. But according to scripture, that’s not true. In Romans 5:8, Paul writes, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” See it? We are sinners, which means we have issues, and God still loves us. He loves us so much that He sent His only Son to die for us.
I don’t know about you, but I am eternally grateful to serve a God that loves me…issues and all!
