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.