Author Confessions: What My Dogs Teach Me About My Relationship With God, 5 of 7
If you haven’t read my previous posts you can find them here, here, here, and here.
ALWAYS WELCOMED HOME
Spatzle began to exhibit signs of dementia and one day when he and Cooper had been out exploring, Cooper returned but I couldn’t find Spatzle. I drove all around the property looking for him and was about to take Cooper out to see if a Lhasa Apso could also be a bloodhound. Before I could do that, Spatzle came trotting through the backyard, happy as could be, filled with burdock. Oh, he had gone exploring all right! Of course, I welcomed my little prodigal home with delight and he suffered the consequences from his wanderings with a pretty intense brushing and a scissors to cut out all that burdock. He still gave me kisses and I, of course, was grateful he’d returned as dementia could have left him lost. After that I had to keep a closer eye on him.
What joy I had when my old dog returned from exploring beyond safe boundaries. He had no idea the dangers that could have been awaiting him. How much more does God try to protect us, but even when we get a little lost, He welcomes us back home with open arms.
DELIGHT IN PLAY
Cooper did well as a dog in our home but when the time came to put Spatzle down, I was concerned that Cooper would be the one grieving. He wasn’t. We of course were heartbroken and I wondered if I would need to find another dog. I didn’t. Cooper became a better dog being an only.
Cooper loved his tennis ball. I would toss it down the hall and it would bounce on the door there and he would run, grow at it and then pick it up and run back to the living room, drop it, growl at it, pick it up and then run back down the hallway. I did have a spare in case he decided he’d rather chase the ball than carry it. He would not play this game outside. We discovered a lazer pointer was even more fascinating for him. We had a routine of him chasing the red dot down the hall and back and forth every night. It was his treat at the end of the day for being a good boy.
What does that teach me? God delights in giving us good things. Rest and play are as important as duty and service. While I can’t quote Scripture and verse on that, in the book of Zephaniah 3:17 it says: “Adonai your God is in your midst— a mighty Savior! He will delight over you with joy. He will quiet you with His love. He will dance for joy over you with singing.” (TLV). God delights in us as much as I delight in my dogs, or my children when they were little and playing. How much more when I’m resting and enjoying this world He created?
Cooper was an amazing dog and when his health failed it broke our heart to put him down. My husband was due to have surgery so we had determined to wait before finding another dog.
That lasted one day. Obviously God had more to teach me.
Do any of these lessons resonate with you? My dogs continue to teach me about my relationship with God and I hope I never stop learning.