sketchy chocolates

I sit at my desk (I work from home) and scarf down half a box (a small box, really) of chocolate-covered macadamias. It was bought for a family member or friend while my husband and I celebrated our first anniversary in Hawaii back in late August. But we live very busy lives. So at this point, my husband and I can't remember who they were for. I'm sure if we had told that friend or family member they'd be receiving aforementioned gift, they must've forgotten by now. Besides, and the real reason we decided not to send the gift, we opened a box the other day in a fit of craving something sweet, and saw that the chocolates looked like they had gone bad (a taste test confirmed they had not), but since they looked sketchy we decided to keep the rest (of the five boxes) for ourselves.

So I'm sitting at my desk, finishing work, finishing the chocolates. Our one-eyed rescued pit bull, Shelby, is not shy when it comes to asking for our food. She will cry, whine, whistle, moan, get in our face, give us puppy dog eyes, and/or patiently wait it out until she knows there is absolutely no hope (or food) left.

She eyes me (pun intended) enjoying these sketchy/not so sketchy chocolates and because I don't give her any, probably thinks, if she could think this way, 'What a mean, greedy pig of a human I have. Can't she see that I want some?'

This caused me to reflect...

What requests has God not given me? Matthew 7 tells me to ask, seek, and knock. And so I've asked, seeked, and knocked for many things. I have not always received what I have asked for. Does that mean God doesn't love me? Does it mean that I don't love Shelby because I withhold sketchy chocolates from her?

When I don't get what I want or think I need, maybe it's because God was protecting me from something that would hurt me. So I thank God for all of the "No"s in my life.

 Matthew 7:9-11
“You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him."