God speaking "Instead of dreading difficulties that may or may not occur
view this day as a sacred adventure to be shared with me."
 Taken from Sarah Young's book Dear Jesus

A dog’s life

We have a very spoiled toy poodle…But so much fun. His antics include catching toys thrown up in the air. And, well – that’s  about it.  It is like he is thinking, “I’m going to get my treats anyway. So why expend my energy to show off for  ”mom and pop.” (That be Theresa and me.)

This all began about  two years ago when I heard ‘‘a voice from heaven” saying, “Get that dog for Theresa.”

Now I’ve  had a ‘‘RULE:  No pets in the house and, If per chance, when I have lost my mind we procure a pet, he is not only not to be a house pet, but he is to earn his keep. We have raised Tennessee Walking horses. Too big as house pets, but sold most of them at a profit. And Great Danes. Have I told you that story?  Bartered  counseling services for  a Great Dane female. Didn’t know she was pregnant. Three weeks and 12 pups later I found out … she was. Made good money from that venture. Still too big to be a house pet.

But  this poodle deal was different. He was a toy poodle,  raised by a breeder and was a very expensive animal. Being blind in one eye, he was not show quality. In fact the breeder gave Teddy to us.

Spoiled rotten, he gets his way in most everything. He even has his own language, which we’re  beginning to understand. Like me, he stutters. Stuttering for  a dog usually takes the form  of primary stuttering which is a repetition of a word a few times,  often at the beginning of a sentence.

You  guessed it right. He says’ “Bark, bark.” This is a command. Here I am. Notice me. Play catch with me.”  What at I’m learning from that dog:      

• Whining gets you a victory in the battle, but in the long run  is easy to lose the war. Now this doesn’t apply to me! Hmm. I wonder how much of my resentment toward God as mentioned in a previous blog was my whining when He didn’t answer my prayers the way I expected.
• Guess who just came into our study… Teddy. No whining this time, just a bossy, loud, demanding bark. He loves to play “catch.” He’ll bring a toy to us. A snort is to remind us of our responsibility to give him  attention and time. If our response is not acceptable, he snorts with increased decibels followed by loud barking. People don’t enjoy a loud, demanding, controlling person. A good way to lose friends.
• Teddy is very perceptive. If Theresa and I raise our voices at the other, he sidles up to the one who is getting the worst of it and strikes a comforting, protective position. He can hear Theresa’s car as soon as it hits the beginning of our lane and charges toward the back door sooner than I can hear it.) Lesson here: Be anticipating people’s needs much sooner than I do now.
• “It‘s not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog.” Teddy weighs about 8 pounds. Knows no fear… until a big dog calls his bluff. He quickly looks to us for protection. Sort of like me. When I am in need I’m much more quick to call on God for help. That is one of the blessings of the 4-wheeler accident and all the surgeries I have had plus Parkinson’s. I need God to provide me with stability as I stand or walk. Losing my balance has resulted in multiplied bruises and busted ribs.
• There is much more I could write about  Teddy. But in wrapping up this session he has a dependence on us he has for food, shelter and care in general. “My God will supply all my needs according to his riches in glory.” Question is: Do I know God well enough to know He wants to care for all my needs?