Coco

Today my puppy had surgery on her knee. After several years of frolicking with her boyfriend, Shadow; a near stomping from a horse and a wild cat chase at the neighbors, her back knee finally had taken all the stress it could stand. With the prognosis not good without surgery, I sat trying to decide which option was the best choice for her quality of life and which option was the best steward of the money the Lord has provided me. What has been the most interesting thing through all of this process is the deep seeded feelings I have for my dog. Yep, I am one of those crazy dog lovers and here is why.... she teaches me so much. Now, before you say I've went off the deep end, think about these ideas for a moment:

Love: My precious pup LOVES me. Without compromise, without doubt, without reservation. Oh how I wish I could love like she does! I wish I could love my Master with abandon as she does me. When my day has been less than wonderful, walking in the door to find her sitting on the sofa, wagging her tail in excitement to see me erases so much of the stress I often carry.

Focus: Coco's one desire in life is to please me. Yes, she reponds with spastic pleasure to a few of my friends, but I am the Alpha in her life. It is my heart's desire to have Jesus be the one to please in my life. I admit, I lose focus in this area all too often. Coco's daily reminder of this principle helps me readjust my vision.

True companionship: The diva dog is my friend. That may sound odd, but she provides forgiveness when I'm grumpy and snap at her, the benefit of the doubt when I've been less than attentive, a compassionate precence when I'm upset and need attention, a fierce defender when danger looms, and a playful, goofy attitude when I need to laugh. I wish I were half as good a friend to my human ones as she is to me!

Simplicity: The best lesson I've learned from Coco is to keep life simple. She enjoys just being where I am, or investigating what's been hanging out in the yard, or trying to make new friends with the cats, squirrels, deer or whatever critter is in her sight. It takes little to entertain her, but her heart always comes back to knowing where I am, where I'm moving, what I'm doing and being a part of it. A dear friend of mine made a simply profound statement a few years back. We were talking of all the issues of ministry and Christianity, and he said, "We just need to love Jesus and get on with it." That has resonated with me since he said it. How simply, but wisely put! If I love Him, I will know where He is, where He's moving and what He is doing. I will want to be a part of Him. My deepest desire is to love Jesus and get on with it!

Thank you Father, for blessing my life with Coco. She's a gift that You have used to teach me some simple, yet profound lessons.