Whispers and Winks from God

This morning I was sitting in my chair with a cup of coffee, talking with Melanie, when both of my dogs jumped up into my lap. They do this every morning for their daily “rub down”… lol.

Dexter and Bentley, as we call them. They’re both rescues and believe me, they know they’ve been rescued (we’ve had them since they were pups). Dexter in particular loves to get right up under my chin and lay his head sideways on my chest. I’m pretty sure he’s saying, “Rub my belly some more, daddy…”

And of course… I rub them both and hug them right back.

As Melanie and I were laughing at how the dogs respond to me in that moment, it got me thinking.

I didn’t call them.
I didn’t command them.
They jumped into my lap because they wanted to.

They like being close. They trust me. They depend on me.

Honestly, I enjoy these moments with them because their actions show me they love and trust me.

And then the thought hit me.

Maybe this is a small glimpse of something about God.

Maybe God wants the same thing I enjoyed with my dogs this morning.

Maybe He wants me — and anyone else who will — to voluntarily climb into His lap and be close to Him.

The Bible says:

“Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
(James 4:8 NIV)

When I think about that verse, it sounds like an invitation.

For me to draw closer to Him, I have to be willing to ask God to search my heart and help me remove anything in my life that hurts that closeness. Pride, sin, and even the distractions of this world can get in the way if we let them.

But God doesn’t force Himself on me — or anyone else for that matter.

He invites us.

He wants us to come willingly.

The same way Dexter and Bentley jumped up into my lap this morning.

God created us with free will because He wants something real… a relationship that isn’t forced.

The amazing thing is that even though we often ignore Him or go our own way, God still loves us deeply.

The Bible says:

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
(Romans 5:8 NIV)

And the amazing thing is that Jesus didn’t just show us God’s love — He made a way for us to come to the Father.

Jesus said it plainly:

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
(John 14:6 NIV)

Think about that for a moment.

Even knowing my flaws, my pride, and all the ways I tend to wander off… He still made a way for me to come back to Him.

He didn’t make me a robot.

He made me hoping that I would love Him back… freely and by choice.

Sometimes I think my relationship with God is a lot like what happened in that chair this morning.

I just want to climb up onto my Father’s lap.

To talk with Him.
To sit quietly with Him.
To draw close to the One who made me.

And honestly… that’s exactly where I want to be.

And if I choose to come near…

He promises to come near to me.

So let me ask you something.

Have you climbed up onto His lap lately?