God’s Lessons from a Dog

I cried when I made the phone call to the vet. It was time. After 13 years of love given and received with abundance the time had come to say good-bye to our dog, Tessa. I cried as I sat there on the floor with her as she peacefully went to sleep. I cried when the vet prayed with us. I cried when we buried her. I cried the first time I came home and she wasn’t there to greet me at the door.

She’s a dog for cryin’ out loud. Why do I feel this so deeply? I’ve experienced loss before. But this seems different.

Tessa was a special connection to the Lord for me. That might sound silly, but the Lord taught me some powerful spiritual lessons through her and maybe I am grieving what my heart feels is a lost connection to the Lord. My head knows this is not the case, my heart needs to catch up.

I share below one of the most important and enduring lessons I learned through Tessa. I wrote this seven years ago when life was very different. I have edited it for length, but I share this message again in thanksgiving for Tessa and for the God who loves me so much He shared her with me so I could know Him more. I pray it blesses you.

Never Alone

It was an emotionally difficult day. My husband and I were coming up on celebrating our 20^th anniversary but there was no celebration in sight. We were in a hard place in our relationship. I felt defeated, beaten down, and tremendously alone. On this particular day I was restless on top of all of the other feelings. It was an early spring morning, with the promise of sunshine and comfortable temperatures so I loaded our black Lab Tessa into the car and off we went to the park.

It was mid-week and we were the only ones there so I let her off her leash and allowed her to investigate as I meandered along the path. My thoughts were really the cries of an anguished heart. “God, where are you? I am not supposed to feel this alone. Why can’t I hear you? Why is this so hard? When will you change my husband’s heart? What do you want from me God?”

I was hurting and felt abandoned by God. I knew He’d been at work in our marriage. I knew He was changing me. I was hoping He was changing my husband (He was). But progress was achingly slow. It seemed that we would take two steps forward and then get shoved backwards and have to travel the same path over and over again.

I was deep in thought until I heard the splash. Tessa had found the water. For the next mile the path followed the shoreline of the lake. The area was a fairly gentle slope so Tessa would run down and splash along the shore for a while, run back up to make sure I was still with her and would then head back down to the water.

Pretty soon we took a turn where the shoreline became much steeper and more difficult to navigate. The path veered away from the water but I did not realize it in time to call Tessa up to me. She got stuck down in the water with seemingly no way out. Try as hard as she could, she simply could not get traction on the steep bank to pull herself out. She was physically in a situation I felt like I was in emotionally and spiritually – in a pit with no way out.

We had two choices: go back the way we came or keep moving forward hoping the slope would gentle out again. As I evaluated our choices, I realized these were the same choices I was grappling with in life. Do I go back to what I know or do I move forward trusting it would get better?

I walked a little further up and realized I had the benefit of being able to see around a bend. I could tell we’d be fine going forward, but I had to get Tessa to go forward too. She was in a near panic by this time and I had to speak loudly to get her attention as I walked along the shore. I needed her to see me and trust me and come toward me. “Tessa, I am down here – LOOK AT ME”, “COME”, “Come this way” “Come on, you can do it.” I realize she had no idea what I was actually saying, but she recognized my voice and when she saw me she settled down and began to work her way toward me. Pretty soon we were on the path together finishing up our walk.

That day God spoke to me. He impressed upon me two truths from His Word:

“So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” (Deut 31:6)

“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the LORD. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,’ says the LORD. ‘I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes.’” (Jer 29:11-14a)

God was saying to me what I said to Tessa. Look at Me. Listen to Me. Trust Me. Come to Me. Keep on moving forward.

I returned home that day with a wet dog, renewed hope and restored faith. I was not ever really alone. That became a promise I hung on to. God could see around the bend, even if I could not.

Blessings,

Denise

P.S. Someone needs to know this today.  The Lord has brought me around many of life’s bends since this one.  The same God who promised not to leave the Israelites is the same God who promised to guide me and is the same God who loves you, will not forsake you, and will lead you around whatever bend in life is in front of you.