Attune

Attune

I am always aware of your unfailing love, and I have lived according to your truth.

A FAMILY FROM CHURCH has a daughter who was born with a congenitally deformed heart. As an infant, she endured several surgeries and lengthy hospital stays. Her family was grateful to bring her home, but the fragile nature of the now-toddler-aged child’s condition means that they have to be very careful.

On a recent summer day, the little girl’s mother brought her and her big sister, along with their dog Marty, outside to enjoy the sun. Despite fighting some cold symptoms, the child was happy and walked constantly around the yard.

But after a while, the mother started to notice something odd happening with Marty, a collie. He came over to the child and sniffed her, ran away a few feet, then turned back around and cut her off, standing sideways so that she was forced to stop. Then he would turn, sniff her chest gently, and come back around to block her again so she couldn’t keep walking.

The mom could tell he was upset, so she brought her daughter inside and found that she had a slightly elevated temperature. Later that night, the mom was amazed to find that even in her now-relaxed state, the child’s heart rate was much too high and her oxygen was low. The mom was so grateful to their dog for noticing her daughter’s symptoms that she gave him a reward.

Marty was attuned to the little girl’s needs, so much so that he noticed a problem before anyone else was aware. His attentiveness was what helped spur the little girl’s mom to action.

Similarly, our loving father God is always attuned to us. He not only created us in his image and knows us well enough to number the hairs on our head, he shows his love in myriad ways. He rejoices over us, calls us his children, and quietly loves us. The Bible even says that he bends down to listen when we pray (see Psalm 116:2). As our heavenly Father, God cares deeply about the big and small details of our lives.

Lord, thank you for always being attuned to our needs. Thank you for your loving care. Amen.

-Kristin

One Good Step: Spend today attuned to the idea that you matter to God. What does that mean to you? How does it influence how you perceive God?