Ponderings

I usually have my moments of querying and questioning when I walk Kenji early morning or late nights. Yesterday, I pondered about (a) Weeping and Strength and (b) Amazing Abundance.

Weeping and Strength

They seem to be quite opposite end of the spectrum, and I was wondering how King David could strengthen and encourage himself in the Lord. To me, that is one of the secret keys to living life, because surely, there are moments of distress and despair. So, how to not give up? I read different versions of 1 Samuel 30, including the Chinese and Japanese bible. 

1 Samuel 30:3-6 

So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until the had no more power to weep. And David's two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive. Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

• What kind of feeling and pain and emotion was that... that they wept until there was no more strength and power even to weep? It must have been so bad and painful, to even think of the thought of losing their wives, sons and daughters. What is so painful and so hard to bear that there is no more strength to even cry? What is that worst feeling in the whole wide world?
• King David must have such a close relationship with the Lord. Because he then inquired of the Lord. He asked a direct question. And God answered him - gave him a direct Yes/No answer. How awesome is this. That the greatest of all actually respond and spoke directly to man.
• It is normal... so normal to cry when one feels distressed. Even the great King David wept and wept. We are wired this way... Feel first, cry first, when in pain. King David could have gone after the solution first by inquiring of God, but he didn't. It was the weeping first. No wonder it is always Body, Soul, Spirit - Clay first, then breathe the spirit of life. God acknowledges our emotions first. It is okay to feel sad and cry. It is the way we are made. 

Amazing Abundance

I have been just observing. Every day, every single walk, Kenji believes and thinks that he will be able to find a tennis ball. 

And to my amazement, somehow, all things work out for his good. He must have taken over 80 balls from the surroundings, and most times, he finds them in the shrubs. We throw the balls away, and then the balls fill up the house again. 

I must tell you - the distance from the shrubs to the tennis courts is quite far. It is not as if there are kids playing around the shrubs... and because he keeps searching and believing, somehow, miracles always happens to him. HE ALWAYS MANAGES TO FIND A BALL. 

So yesterday, I thought he wouldn't be able to find any ball, as we had passed by the usual shrubs and sports zone. I thought that, but in my heart, i was thinking.... he just might, again. We were nearing the carpark when Kenji refused to move. He just stopped and stared at a car. A man got off the car, squatted down and said hello to Kenji, and asked why Kenji was not moving and so fixated at his car. I said - My dog is looking for tennis balls. 

And... oh my goodness... This man is a tennis coach. He asked me to wait for a while, and then went to take a tennis ball out and gave it to Kenji. Oh my goodness... how did this just happen again?

• How it is possible that there are so many balls lying around for him? Who planted the balls there? And they are always the new balls, not those that are already decayed or have been hidden there for eons. Logically speaking, I really don't see any kids playing with tennis balls near the trees and shrubs. 
• How is it that he never ever gives up on his quest for new tennis balls?
• How is that they always excite him, even if he has so many such tennis balls at home?
• How does this simple belief that he has always lead to all balls coming his way?

God must have loved Kenji very much too. :)) Looking at Kenji reminds me of the simple things in life; reminds me that we must do all the believing and hoping and there is a greater force out there that will take care of his simple desires and needs; reminds me that God takes care of the lilies of the fields and birds of the air (even though they don't understand and don't need to understand much), what more will He do to take care of us (even if we understand and maybe that is the problem - our understanding complicates)? :-D

I just felt in awe. My two diverse ponderings are really at quite different ends... one is pretty sad with all the weeping and the other, of great hope, belief and abundance. 

So, I must end this positively. See the look - him and his new priceless collection of new balls. And the zzzzz look... all with the balls.