Is it worth the effort?

I think my dog has 'ADHD'. He's a twitcher. He cannot stand to be still. Right now he is lying down in front of me in an awkward 'i'm lying down because you made me, not because i'm comfy' kind of position, whining relentlessly. I wouldn't mind if he was badly done to, but we're talking about a dog who has just got back from an hours walk in the wind and the rain, been fed a big bowl of gross smelling dog food and is now in trapped (poor soul) in a room full of toys with a warm fire blazing. What kind of dog doesn't settle in front of the fire and go to sleep in that scenario. Or even if he wasn't sleepy you would think he would be happy to curl up with a chew toy. But not Blue, bless him.......he just cannot understand why i would want to do anything other than throw his ball or tug his rope.

Ok so the dog seems to have settled now that he's been in and out of the room several times creating draughts and being a general nuisance. Now it's the cats turn. Independent and stand- off-ish as she normally is Bell has decided that today she wants to sit on my lap.....on the laptop on my lap (I just very nearly lost everything i have written so far). She would also like to use the corner of the laptop screen to scratch her head, which would be fine if the hinge on our laptop wasn't broken and the screen didn't keep falling flat. Bell would also like to go out now please. And back in again now please. That's lovely......out again please...... i'll leave the rest to your imagination.

Pets eh! They get in the way, they make lots of mess, they cost lots of money and they take lots of work. And yet........i'd hate to be without them. They're my little buddies, they keep me company, they bring me so much joy, i love to watch them and marvel at their crazy little characters. Taking a dog on a walk is so much more rewarding than just going for a walk by yourself. They just love it so much. Every day i take Bluey for a walk. And every day when i pick up his lead he looks like he just won the lottery. All his dreams have come true. It doesn't matter that we're walking the exact same route we did yesterday. It doesn't matter that it's rainy and cold and blowing a gale (secretly i think this is in fact Bluey particular favourite kind of weather). And then when your out walking his tails up and he's bounding around like he's just been released from a ten year stint down a mine. I feel like i just gave him the gift of a lifetime, and honestly, it really wasn't that much effort on my part.

I love my pets. Sometimes they drive me crazy..... but they're always worth it.

The best things in life always take bit of work don't they. Family, for instance. Families always require effort and patience, money and time but who would be without them. Relationships of any kind are complicated and require sacrifice but very few people would be happy living all alone. Sometime when i'm tired and stressed out and everything seems hard work i just want to curl up in a ball and not have to deal with or think about anyone or anything. But if i'm honest, i think i'd soon get bored. Not to mention the pins and needles and the compulsion to eat!!!

Some things are worth the effort. We each get to decide what's worth the effort for us. Some relationships are worth the effort, some aren't. I think pets are worth the effort, many people don't. Families are usually worth the effort. Careers are worth a certain amount of effort, though we have to be careful not to put all our efforts in this particular basket. Health is probably worth the effort, even if it's sometimes hard to see that when faced with the option of walk or a run vs the sofa and a bag of malteasers!

I think faith is worth the effort. Some days it seems like it would be a lot easier not to believe in God. I could just live my life however i wanted, i could be entirely selfish. I could stay in an watch TV on sundays and mondays. But then i wouldn't know the comfort and security of having God by my side through every situation. I wouldn't have an overriding purpose for my life that makes everything seem worth while. I wouldn't know God's unconditional love and forgiveness in my heart giving me value and self worth. Jesus said that if we chose to follow his way with our lives it would be like choosing a narrow path instead of a big broad easy route. But he also said that if we did choose to follow him...........it would definitely be worth the effort!