Valerie couldn’t help laughing at the sight of the leashes wrapped around Nina’s legs as the two dogs pulled in opposite directions.

            Nina threw her hands in the air. “Help me get out of this!”
            Valerie grabbed the leashes and helped Nina get free of the dogs. “Maybe dog sitting for Sarah wasn’t such a great idea.”
            “I had no idea her dogs were this crazy.”

            Valerie took one of the leashes. “Come on. We’re almost to the fenced-in area. Once we leave the dogs in there, we’ll be able to relax.”

            Nina followed Valerie down the path to the center of the dog park. A few minutes later, they released the dogs and leaned against the fence in relief. “Wow. I’m glad I don’t have to deal with those two crazy mutts for much longer. I don’t know how Sarah does it.”

            “She must have a secret way with dogs.”

            Nina draped the leashes over the fence. “I wish I had a way with dogs.” She shook her head. “No, scratch that. If I’m asking for wishes, I’d wish to be more like you.”

            Valerie blinked. “More like me? Whatever for? No. You mean Jesus. Not me.”

            Nina waved a hand. “Of course I want to be more like Jesus. But for all practical purposes, I want to be more like you. You have everything together. You have a great marriage, well-behaved kids, you serve at church, and you have a good job. Compared to you, I’m a big mess.”

            Valerie’s mouth dropped open. “You can’t be serious. I’m barely squeaking by. Half the time the kids are undisciplined and I don’t have time to serve at church. My house is a mess, and work is stressful. If it seems otherwise on the outside, it’s all about the secret of small choices.”

            Nina straightened. “Small choices? What do you mean?”

            “Well, take today for example. I’d planned to clean the house before church, but Megan overslept. That threw off the whole shower schedule. So instead of cleaning, I made pancakes for everyone to save them some time. Jonah helped me make the pancakes, so we had a special time together. We all sat together as a family, which made us more relaxed. So even though we were running late, we were still peaceful. God had a better use for my time than cleaning the house. He wanted me to make pancakes instead.”
            Nina studied her. “But how did you know God had a better use for your time? If God doesn’t want me to clean my house, I can certainly get on board with that directive.”

            Valerie let out a little snort. “I don’t think that’s the moral of the story. But seriously, it’s about sending up little micro prayers during the day. I prayed that God would help us get to church on time, but most importantly, that we get there with a good attitude and as a loving family. Jonah asked for pancakes as soon as I prayed the prayer. So we made then.”

            Nina nodded. “OK. So your secret to happiness is little prayers.”

            “Pretty much. It’s about praying to God throughout the day and asking Him for what you need. Kind of like Nehemiah when the king asked him why he was sad. He paused, said a quick prayer, and answered the king. I’m not dealing with any kings, but I need God’s help every day. So whenever I have a choice to make, whether it’s a big one or a small one, I reach out to God and ask Him for help.”

            Nina gazed out over the dog park. “I think I’ll give that a try. I might need to start with asking for guidance to deal with those crazy dogs!”

Matthew 7: 7-11

 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

God, thank You for the promises You make to us. You tell us if we ask, You will give us what we need. Help us to pray continually and guide us in our lives as we have choices to make. Please help us make wise choices and serve You. Every day we have the choice to be grateful or resentful. Please guide our choices and our steps. We want to follow You in all we do, Lord. And when we do, everything falls into place. In Jesus’ name, Amen.