I Thank My Dog Every Time I Remember To

My dog has helped me to be a better follower of Jesus. No, really… I’m not kidding – I’m serious. We thought we were getting a puppy to fill the void left by the loss of our dear old Duchesa (and we were). We thought it would be wonderful to have another goofy Golden Retriever to greet us at the door and be a part of our family (and it is).

But, God had more plans for that little puppy than what might originally come to mind….

She came into our lives little, bouncy and covered with fluffy puppy fur. She was snuggly, happy-go-lucky and gave much love to us. Her antics were entertaining, and it has been a blast to watch her learn and explore the world.

The first night she howled and cried like a demon from the pit of hell when we put her in the crate for the night. It sounded as if we were subjecting her to the most heinous torture known to mankind… we were mortified. She eventually grew out of that, but there were times we both despaired and questioned our sanity for wanting a puppy. She gnaws on things. She eats anything (even glass). She barks. She poops a lot. For the first several months, she seemed incapable of telling us when she needed to pee, and would squat wherever she was with no warning and soil the floor.

I must confess I struggled through those days and weeks… I was resentful and angry – this little thing had totally disrupted my life, and spoiled my routines. No longer could I have peace and quiet, I was constantly keeping an eye and ear on the dog to make sure she wasn’t getting into trouble or needing to go out. Then, when she finally learned to tell us she needed to go potty, it was invariably just when I had settled down to read, relax or start a project that needed serious concentration.

Then one day while I was walking her around the back yard, trying to get her to do her business I understood…

I was angry because she was disrupting my precious routine. My first thought or reaction was always frustration at how my life was being affected by this little creature, how it wasn’t fair that I was being inconvenienced.

Sheesh. What a selfish jerk.

Don’t get me wrong, raising a puppy is a challenge, and it does disrupt your life. It is perfectly normal and healthy to acknowledge frustration with that process, heck even to BE frustrated a times. But my “aha” moment that day was to realize that somewhere along the way in life, I had become very self-centered. I realized that it wasn’t just the DOG that I reacted this way to, it was also more often than not people and situations as well.

And so, that was how God used a puppy to begin a new work in me. The next posts are going to be about this journey I’ve been on for the last few months, and what I believe He is telling me. To be frank, I’m not sure I like all of this revelation, and I certainly have not been thrilled to find that there are some changes God wants me to make, but on the other hand, I am amazed at the insights I’ve had come my way during this time. God’s word has spoken to me in fresh ways I have not experienced in years, and I wonder how I could have read the words so many times and so easily missed the obvious truth therein.

Finally, regardless of the trials of raising a puppy, there’s still nothing like sitting on the couch in the morning enjoying quiet time with God and a cup of coffee while that same naughty puppy sits calmly at my side with her head in my lap and looks trustingly up at me with big brown eyes. In spite of her natural inclination to disobey and be a normal puppy, she is growing into a typical Golden Retriever – loving, loyal, affectionate and forgiving… I expect like our dear Duchesa, Bailey will grow to maturity having those qualities that we also should strive for, and will continue to make me a better person if I will only watch carefully and listen to what God is trying to teach me.