Sunday, March 29, 2009

All Things to Enjoy


A friend heard about the gift of Sandy, my new puppy, and shared with me that she always thought Paul was talking about dogs in 1 Timothy 6:17. I ran to my Bible to see what the scripture said, and sure enough, he could be talking about pets, or friends, or books, or a beautiful view.

The scripture reads: "Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy (NASB)."


My husband and I weren't sure about enjoying Sandy's long-term outlook. Since the first few days with us, she had been scratching and turning red all over. We tried odorless detergent. We tried two different kinds of special food. The vet said she had a flea infection. So we spent $300 on medicine. But she wasn't getting better. In fact, she was getting worse. She seemed miserable.

So another trip to the vet... this time, it turns out Sandy has mange!

The good news is, like many of our trials on earth, this one is curable. Until that time, Sandy is wearing pink puppy footies and a doggie T-shirt so she won't scratch herself so badly. She seems to know that we are trying to help her, and that just gives us one more thing to appreciate about her.

Thank you, Father, for richly supplying us with so much to enjoy.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Sandy

This year, my husband gave me the best birthday present--well, second only to the engagement ring he gave me in 1995. Her name is Sandy, and he went to a lot of trouble to surprise me on the air with the new puppy. I cried, I was so shocked and happy.


A year ago, about a week before my birthday, we had to put Daisy to sleep. I'd had Daisy before Mark entered my life, so she was a special friend. Her death was so sad, it was the worst day of our marriage. We'll face worse trials in our future, and compared to what many are going through, it is almost trivial. Life goes on, though, and as I look at this little bundle snoozing on the floor at my feet, I wonder how we waited so long to have another sweet creature be part of our family.


If you need encouragement, consider giving a dog a home. You will learn lessons about God's unconditional love in ways you never will listening to a sermon. Of course, how you react to potty-training may teach you more about yourself than you wanted to learn!


We named her "Sandy" because she was picked up a tiny pup all alone, a stray in the streets. And Sandy is the name of Orphan Annie's dog. Our Sandy was not going to live long if she didn't get adopted soon. It breaks my heart to think this beautiful, smart dog would've been euthanized, as they like to call it.

We look forward to many years of companionship and will always celebrate how this orphan entered our lives and made our tomorrow's brighter.

Better than a Horror-scope

"I pray you will enjoy many unexpected blessings today."

That is how a person signed off an email to me early one morning. Wow! I figured if he was praying that, I would have a great day! And you know what? I did. Every time something pleasant happened the rest of the day, I would ask myself, "Is this the unexpected blessing?"

I don't deserve all those blessings. Just like we don't deserve God's mercy. But thinking that an unexpected blessing may come along made me smile all day long. And knowing that this man I respected took the time to say a prayer for me was the best blessing of all.

In these uncertain times, any excuse for a smile is welcome. We can take pleasure in simple favors. Even scientific researchers say expressing gratitude helps our health and well-being.

So, list what you're thankful for, and enjoy those unexpected blessings, like the prayer of a friend.