Some things God teaches us through dogs

For the first time in weeks, we have rain. It was cloudy all day yesterday but no rain fell. But during the night, rain fell. I've heard that it rained hard part of the night. I slept through it. If it stormed, I was completely unaware. This morning, I took my dog for a walk.....in the rain.... When I started putting on my take-the-dog-for-a-walk-clothes it was not raining. It was cloudy but it was cloudy all day yesterday and not a drop. So I got ready. The dog, Winston, knows when I'm going to take him for a walk long before he sees his leash. He was excited. By the time I was done dressing and getting my walking stuff ready (dog treats, radio with earphones, cell phone) it started raining.....raining, not just a mist, but with drops....frequent, large drops of rain. I knew I'd be soaked by the time we got home. The dog doesn't care if it is raining. He just wants to go...anywhere.... anytime.... for any distance.

There is so much we can learn from a dog. 1) Who cares if it is raining? Dogs don't. What does a little rain hurt? Take a walk anyway. 2) Watch for cues. Dogs know that certain things cue what is coming next. When I get dressed before I take a shower, Winston gets to go for a walk. God gives us cues (and clues) too. 3) Want to go, anywhere, anytime, for any distance. God will get you there and prepare you. The distance may be short or long. Want to go because God will be with you. 4) Take a nap, or rather rest. After a long walk, or even a short walk for that matter, Winston always takes a nap. He gets the rest he needs to be ready for the next adventure. 5) Consider it an adventure. This changes your attitude from "do I have to?" to "I can't wait!" Even if Winston smells the exact same clump of grass each time, it is an adventure and he's excited about it. He just wags his tail and watches with great anticipation what's coming next. 6) Be faithful and loving anyway. Even when I don't take Winston for a walk, he still sits by me (or on me), gives me kisses and all around loves me.....anyway. 7) Expect good things. Winston fully expects to be able to chase a butterfly, see the neighbor's dog, get a glimpse of a bunny or cat, or loads of other things. I don't know what goes on in his mind! But I can say that he expects good things. 8) Wait until the coast is clear. Whenever we go to a new place or an old place that looks different, Winston holds back just a little to see if I'll give him the go-ahead. Wouldn't it be great if we'd wait for God to give us the go-ahead before we run headlong into something?!? If we go on His sign, we could be sure that the coast is clear!

Well, that's all the rambling on I can do about a dog at this moment. We learn unconditional love from a dog. If we try, can we learn to obey on command? I don't know but I do know that unless you have a dog, you miss a lot of God's easier lessons. Lessons all bundled up in a clump of fur and sloppy - oftentimes unsolicited - kisses.

Dear God, Thank you for dogs and particularly for my dog and the lessons I get from him. Amen.

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