Ellie and I headed up to the lake this afternoon. I had promised Dad I would water the sod that he recently laid down around the house. And while I was dragging the hoses around, Ellie was having the time of her life.

She loves to run around in the woods — only this was more like zooming, from one end of the peninsula to the other and then back again.

She chased squirrels. She herded the golden retriever from next door. She explored the shoreline. She dipped a paw in the water and then looked at me indignantly like, “Did YOU know how cold that is?” Then she raced off again.

At one point I realized I hadn’t seen her in a while, so I called for her and she came rocketing out of the swamp like a 50-pound, furry bullet and skidded to a stop in front of me. “What?” she seemed to say. “I have things to sniff, do you mind?” And away she went.

Ellie runs just for the sheer joy of running. It’s what she was made for — and she’s happiest when’s she doing what she was made for.

What are we made for? What will give us sheer joy?

“You have shown me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy.” – Psalm 16:11