Puppies

“…but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:10-11

 

Téa…Her name means, “Gift of God”… and she is. Lying beside me, in the place Beatrice used to be. Right next to me, in that place that has been empty since Bea passed a year and a half ago. God is faithful. He is forever reminding me of that truth. He is faithful even when I’m not. I get so caught up in the things of this life. I get distracted, interrupted; I wax and wane. God does not. He is steadfast, unwavering, and constant.

I haven’t had a puppy in over seventeen years. Bea came to us as an adult dog, fully trained. Puppies are exhausting; mischievous, strong willed, mouthy, whiny, with an incredibly short attention span. Sounds familiar….the illustration has certainly not been lost on me.   It’s been a great reminder of how patient the Lord is, how He teaches and trains me, how He loves, protects and saves me –on a daily basis. We are like puppies, pulling, tugging, biting, barking… and our Lord who loved us enough to give His own life for ours, reels us in, corrects us, loves us and cares for us.

Sometimes, when I lean in to kiss Téa, she bites back at me, in her fresh puppy way. Of everything she does this always offends me the most; when I am trying to love on her and she is being fresh. Sound familiar? Praise God, for His love, for His patience, for His grace and for His forgiveness! I’ve said it before and I will say it once more; we are all hound dogs in need of training and discipline… so when God says, “Wait” …we wait, and when He says, “Let’s go”…we go.

 

–Kimberly Murray