You, who love the Lord: Are you compliant when God says “no” or do you balk at Him and think He’s unfair? Little children respond this way when they’re young, but when they are grown with understanding like a well rooted tree in them, they know “no” is a blessed word.

Back in 1980, I needed someone to drive me, my children and our dog “Ladybug” from Florida to our new home in the mountains. We had rescued “Ladybug,” a pedigree cocker spaniel, from the pound and the papers that came with her carried the beautiful name “Lady Valentine” on them. Since it was too much of a mouthful to call her, she was turned from a valentine into a bug. Sounds like the story of many relationships, eh? Life seems to have a lot of bugs in it with much learning to be accrued from them with even their appearance conveying truth to us: Ladybugs have beautiful, red colored shells on their backs, and just like their God-given protection, understanding (red) backs us up and protects us, too.

Our “Ladybug” evidently had been badly abused by a previous owner and shook all over for weeks after I brought her home. Even after she had bonded with me, she would still go a little crazy whenever I left her by herself, and one time, in a panic stricken state, Ladybug” tore up a screen door after we had to leave her alone in my father-in-law’s house. Papa called her “Schizo” ever since.

Does she sound like any of us? I’m sure not in the full sense for most of God’s people, but I feel certain that when we have an unhealed wound, our emotions can go wild when something comes up in our lives similar to what hurt us in the past. Recently I went a little schizo myself after Dr. Jesus dug deep in my inner being to reveal what was buried there. I didn’t know there was something called “harboring injustice” that needed to be cut out of me. Oh yes, some others who are His bride and the sons of God soon to come have schizo over-growths that need exposure and removal, too. If you’re one of them, don’t be surprised and tear apart any coverings when you’re being screened. Instead, be still and know that all things are working for your good.

Now back to the story: I had a good friend who wanted to help us make the move to NC and offered to drive my car for me. Immediately I heard the Holy Ghost emphatically say “NO!” startling me. When I told Sarah she was deeply hurt and I almost lost our friendship because of it. I didn’t know the reason why God didn’t want her to help us out until a year later when she took a bus to come visit me for a few days. The mountains PETRIFIED Sarah. She was schizo just like “Ladybug” and would go nowhere out of my house until it was time for her to leave. Who could have known?… only Jesus!

All of us like Sarah have hang-ups and God brings them to light to be dealt with at just the right time. Hopefully, some of us are at a stage now that when things don’t go as we would like and when God says “No,” we’ll know it’s His valentine to us and we won’t be bugged. Then we’ll be like a queen bee making the King’s “no” into honey,…

even with our nest full of sweetness, not bitterness!