My Dad gave me a dog so I would love Him more......

I was thinking the other day ~ which is always a dangerous thing ~ about the trials and tribulations I experienced as a dog owner. My dog was like one of my kids, just furrier. I found Chewie when she was just a few weeks old. She was so weak she could barely move. I rushed her to the vet and discovered that she was so covered in fleas that she was anemic, she had worms so bad her little belly was distended, and she was starving to death having been separated from her mom before being weaned. She weighed a pound and a few ounces. The vet told me not to get attached and to bring her back in if she was still alive in two weeks. I took her home and bottle-fed her this disgustingly-smelly concoction of goat's milk, lactaid, and de-worming medicine. I remember that night so clearly because I remember being too scared to fall asleep. I was so terrified that I would fall asleep and wake up to find that she had died in the night, alone. I figured if I stayed awake and she passed at least I could be there to comfort her in her final moments. That night was touch and go....there were several different times that I thought I was going to lose her....but she made it. I continued to bottle-feed her over the next couple of weeks and when I took her back in to the vet's office she weighed over six pounds! The vet was incredulous and the entire staff came back to the examination room to see the puppy that lived! That was the beginning of a soul-changing relationship that lasted for 12 years. During that time, Chewie was like any other dog.....she chewed on things, would always try to burrow underneath me when the thunder scared her, barked at things in the night that only she could see, and once in a rare while would even mess the carpet if she refused to go outside to potty before bedtime because it was raining and she didn't want to get her paws wet. Despite how big a nuisance she tried to make of herself, I still loved her as though she was a child - my child - and when it came time for her to go it felt as though a part of me went with her. She's been gone for two years now and I still miss her horribly. And as I was thinking about her the other day something occurred to me that was so powerful it took my breath away....God sent Chewie to me so that I would love Him more. Before you start laughing hear me out.

I found Chewie alone, starving, and dying. Spiritually, without God, we are no different. We are alone, our souls are starving for the Truth of His Word, and we are dying. I took Chewie in and nurtured her, fed her, and saved her. God did the same for me....He took me in, fed my soul, provided for my needs both in this world and the next, and saved me - body and soul. Despite all of Chewie's faults and the havoc she occasionally.....okay, frequently..... wreaked in my life I loved her more than any one could imagine. And God, in all His infinite glory and forgiveness, loves me more than I could ever imagine -  despite my weaknesses, faults, and tendency to make a huge mess of His perfect plans for me. The first night that I had Chewie, when she was at her weakest, I couldn't bear the thought of leaving her....not even to sleep, for fear that she would suffer alone. The same is true for God. God never leaves us....especially when we are at our weakest. If we love Him and let Him into our hearts we will never have to go through anything alone. Can you comprehend how overwhelming that concept is? because it took me a while to be able to grasp it. God will never leave us, whether we're at our best or at our lowest He will be there because He doesn't want us to have to go through anything - good or bad - alone.

Knowing how deeply and strongly I felt about Chewie, the realization that God feels that way about me was staggering. It was enough to take my breath away and make my heart overflow with a whole new appreciation for my Father and His endless blessings. I knew at that moment that Chewie had been a gift from Him, something that would be precious to me so that I could understand how precious I am to Him. It worked.....I love Him now more than ever.......and not just because He gave me a dog!

(1996-2008)
In memory of my beloved Chewie 

a true gift from above.