Just a few days ago I overheard a conversation Dave was having with one of our neighbors. Just out of the blue he said “You know I miss Glory. Each time I drive up and open the back gate I expect to see her there waiting for me”. That little girl taught us so many lessons about love!
Our dogs can teach us so much. They depend on us to provide for them. They lovingly wait for our return; if we are gone for 3 days or three hours there reaction to our return is the same. Excitement!
A few years back I heard singer/songwriter, Don Francisco, talking about a song his wife , Wendy, had written, “GoD and DoG”.
I look up and I see God, I look down and see my dog.
Simple spelling G O D, same word backwards, D O G.
They would stay with me all day. I’m the one who walks away.
But both of them just wait for me, and dance at my return with glee.
Both love me no matter what – divine God and canine mutt.
I take it hard each time I fail, but God forgives, dog wags his tail.
God thought up and made the dog, dog reflects a part of God.
I’ve seen love from both sides now, it’s everywhere, amen, bow wow.
I look up and I see God, I look down and see my dog.
And in my human frailty…I can’t match their love for me.
Those words touched my heart. It seems I’m not the only one who could see a correlation between the unconditional love of My Father and the devotion of my four-legged canine companion.
I remember a time when we had been on the go and I had forgotten to feed Glory. It was late, almost bedtime, when I realized she still needed her dinner.
She was very mild natured and you hardly ever knew she was around. I realized she had been overlooked and sat with her for a few minutes. She needed the attention and responded so lovingly. The love and attention were much more important to her than her dinner, which was late.
“Good people are kind to their animals, but a mean person is cruel.” Proverbs 12:10
The creatures of this earth were put here by God for our enjoyment but we are also to be good stewards in providing for them. They depend on us and we learn love from them. In the mornings Glory would lay at my side while I read my Bible, had prayer and wrote this blog. She just enjoyed being close to me as I was spending time being close to the Father. She’s been gone six months now and I miss sharing my quiet mornings with her.
Let us carry these same characteristic of caring and kindness that we have learned from our four-legged friends to our two-legged friends.
“God loves you and has chosen you as his own special people. So be gentle, kind, humble, meek, and patient. 13 Put up with each other, and forgive anyone who does you wrong, just as Christ has forgiven you. 14 Love is more important than anything else. It is what ties everything completely together.” Colossians 3:12-14 CEV
We can all use a little more kindness!