This isn’t our dog, but you get the idea, right? Photo Source.


Be still, and know that I am God . . . Psalm 46:10

She’s
nestled at my side right now, sleeping with great, heavy sighs, her long legs tucked and curled in a fetal position. 

I’m still
learning the stillness of dogs.  They don’t
purr when happy, don’t flap their tales angrily when the petting becomes too
much.  Their language is altogether
different. 

//

I wake up
early every morning intending to ingest caffeine and find time to pray, journal
and read.  
Too often, though, once the
computer’s on, I’m off and running – making lists, commenting, writing and, in
the worst of circumstances, reading depressingly bizarre articles on
Yahoo.
  Sitting in an old wooden Adirondack
chair by the wood stove, I hit the ground running, bolting into the day on a caffeine
driven wave of activity.
 

I notice the
early morning darkness, the stillness and calm, but I don’t enter into it.

This dog,
though, she sleeps curled on the worn, leather couch at the bottom of the
stairs.  A blur of black and brown, she
blends in and only her deep snores give her away. 

She is warm,
she is still, she is calm. 

Walking over
to say good morning with my tall cup of coffee in hand, she invites me, wordlessly,
to sit and snuggle.  Settling on the
couch, I pull her into my lap and she presses her head against my shoulder.  

Now I am still, warm and growing calm. 

There’s no
room for the computer with a dog in my lap. 
It’s too dark for a book, no room, no light for journaling.  So, I pray in a quiet, wordless way, settling
in to Something More like that pup curled on the couch.  Slowly, the sun rises across the field, covering the landscape with its wordless, changing light.  

When my
husband comes walking through the darkness to kiss me goodbye, I’m there still
almost hidden on the couch.
  And every
morning now, I choose – to work by the fire or to enter into the quiet call to
prayer that arises from the soft sounds of our silent, sleeping dog.  
 

//

Sometimes I find myself called to prayer in the most surprising ways – what calls your heart to prayer?

This post is linked with The High Calling for their series on Spiritual Disciplines. Click on the link to read more stories.

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