Chuck Locklear
fascinating characters, impactful books and messages
No Frogs Allowed
It’s easy to make the same mistake over and over. Yes, I am guilty. I have my eyes on the cares of this world rather than on the goodness of God. Hopefully, the “No frogs allowed” rule will be a reminder of where to put your focus.
Ella the Fearless
Before I get to frogs, let me talk about our four pound dog: Ella. She is 16 years old and afraid of everything. Maybe because she is nearly blind and mostly deaf, she walks around the house with her tail between her legs. These days, we take her everywhere we go. Lizzy even got her certified as a service animal so we could take her on the plane. Maybe, you have seen photos of her on our most recent trip to Florida. . . the one where she was almost alligator bait.
I wish I could say that I am fearless, but sometimes I’m just like Ella, walking around with my tail between my legs. The truth is that I am afraid of bad news. I’m always waiting for it, anticipating the dreaded telephone call.
Do Not Fear
I know what Jesus said in Luke 12:32. “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” I know this means that I am a child of the king and he takes pleasure in giving me the blessings and bounty of the kingdom. So, why do I allow fear a foothold in my life?
I know that “Do not fear” is written in the Bible 365 times. That is one “Do not fear” for every day of the year. . .a daily reminder from God to live each day without fear. Yet, it is easy to be discouraged. When we wake up and are faced with the “what ifs.” What if I lose my job? What if God doesn’t heal me? What if flood damage costs more than I have? What if I’m left all alone?
At any moment in time there are lots of troubles in our world: hurricanes in Louisiana, wild fires in California, causalities in Afghanistan, flooding at home, the unopened bills on the table. Yes, there is lots of bad news on which to focus our attention. But, this week I read a verse that changed my perspective:
“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
Psalm 37:4
My Favorite Things
Try this exercise with me. Make a list of the things you love. Yes, take out paper and pencil and write a list. Your list might include “Chocolate.” Lizzy loves chocolate. How about the smell of cut grass? How about the satisfaction of a job well done? Laughter around the dinner table? Red barns?
As I wrote my list, I found that there are lots of things for which I delight. But, do I delight in God in the same way? Where is he on my list?
I went through my list again: The way my granddaughters Scarlet and Selah hug me tight. They are big huggers. The fact that I am Shiloh’s favorite. The sparkly way the air feels before a thunderstorm. The “comfyness” of my favorite chair. Then, it occurred to me; as I expressed thankfulness for these things, I turn my focus away from the worries of my life. I am taking delight in God. It is truly God’s grace that has blessed me with each of these things that I love. At that point, I realized that, indeed, God has given me the desires of my heart.
Frogs and Raising Boys
This lesson reminded me of frogs. . . and raising boys. I was blessed with two daughters, before Lizzy and I had a son. My experience is that raising a son was very different than raising daughters. Boys seem to be bigger risk takers. They are always stretching the boundaries. At our house, we were always making new rules because of our son and his friends. We never needed a rule for the girls that “Climbing the chimney was not allowed” or “You cannot drive through the neighborhood with friends until they have a license.”
So, here’s where the frog rule comes into play. My nephew, Mitchell, loves animals and critters of every kind. One day, his mom noticed that he kept moving around, unable to find a comfortable position at the breakfast table. She asked him, “Are you sick?” “What is wrong?” He smiled and said, “Nothing, the frogs just keep moving.” “The frogs?” she responded. Sure enough he pulled not one, not two, but four big bullfrogs out of his pockets. At that, his mom made a new rule, “No frogs at the table.”
A few days later, just before he sat down at the table, he jumped up and raced back outside. He emptied his pockets of two frogs and a lizard. “Sorry, mom,” he said, “I forgot the rule.” Mitchell is kinda like us. He wanted to do the right thing, but his temperament to scoop up frogs, lizards, and tiny garter snakes was just too much to resist. So, his mom instituted a door check policy. Before entering the house Mitchell had to stop at the door and check his pockets.
I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with loving frog. It is just that his mother did not want them in her house.
Heart Check Policy
I think a similar policy would be good for us too. . . a “No frogs allowed“ policy. This rule would require us to pause a few minutes at the beginning of each day. Specifically, we would check our hearts to make sure we are focusing on the goodness of our God and not on the trouble in our world. Then, we can begin our day by entering into the presence of our God.
Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, wrote that we should fear the Lord. I think a better translation might substitute the words “delight in” for fear.
“Blessed is the one who [delights in] the Lord always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.”
Proverbs 28:14, ESV
My life’s experience validates this verse. I have found that those who delight in the Lord are blessed. But, those that don’t care about God are headed for serious trouble.
Yes, as humans, it seems that we are often making the same mistake over and over. We have our eyes on the cares of this world rather than on the goodness of God. We don’t take the time to delight in the Lord. We forget the rule, “No frogs allowed.” Hopefully, the list of things you love will be a reminder of where your focus should be, on the delights with which God has blessed you. If you do this, you’ll be able to pray with confidence: Heavenly father, no matter what happens today, my life is good. You make it that way.
Copyright © 2023 Chuck Locklear
Also, see Finding Wisdom.
Always, look for the good. All good gifts are from above. ❤️ Think on these things! It’s healthy, biblical, uplifting and the right thing to do.