It’s National Pet Day, which means someone somewhere decided we needed to take a moment and thank our pets on social media. Because you know, all of these types of days are meant for social media. And I’m in! Here’s what I wrote today on Instagram and elsewhere:
Expert barker and cuddler. Named after the dog in a children’s book. Eight years old. BFF. #NationalPetDay
I told her it was “her day” today and she seemed very excited by the whole thing.
My dog has taught me a lot about unconditional love and forgiveness. I believe God shows us things a variety of ways, and having a pet teaches you about God’s love in a different way.
Just this morning, my doggie was being impatient and begging, and I told her to sit tight and “just wait” a minute. And then I felt a chill…. how often had I begged my heavenly father for things? How often had he told me to “just wait” and how often did I listen?
My dog begs because, let’s face it… I’ve spoiled her. She gets treats when she doesn’t do a thing to deserve them. I even reward her sometimes when she’s naughty.
But God has spoiled me, too. I get blessings when I don’t deserve them. In fact, I probably never deserve them. I get rewards when I don’t work for them. I might think I am. And maybe Genevieve thinks she does, too. But really, I give her treats because I love her and want her to be happy.
God gives me blessings because he loves me and wants me to grow in my faith, more and more every day.
My dog can be incredibly naughty, and it’s because she knows I love her. I treat her well. She knows when she’s naughty there’s really nothing I do about it except tell her no, do this, or no, back away from that. Sometimes she makes a huge mistake and I assure her it’s okay and clean up whatever mess she’s made.
And I know God does this for me, too. My messes are mostly emotional and spiritual and he has to clean those up for me. One of my favorite verses is this one:
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10
I created this print recently and we hung it up in our dining room. I like seeing these words everyday as I walk past them.
David cries out to God to help cleanse his sinful spirit and God gives him a fresh slate, not because of who Davis is but because of who God is. And the really remarkable, wonderful, radical thing is he does this for me, too.
