Powerful Lesson from a Dying Dog
“But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” Mt. 24:13
“I’ll be quick, I promise. I won’t talk. I wrote a list of her meds and what I want you to check. I know you’re busy,” I told my long-time vet as I watched him examine 10-pound Little Miss Miracles. I hadn’t called ahead. I had just showed up on a very busy day for his practice. He didn’t hesitate to squeeze me in. He had known my beloved Miracle since God had sent her to me nearly three years earlier in dire straits. Her first vet after rescue expected she’d live just weeks. God had given her multiple miracles. Now she was near the end. Was it time to euthanize?
“Have you prayed about it?” my beloved vet asked. One in a million vets. One who knows my heart. My heart for Christ. Only God knew the right answer. Not my vet. Not me. God. I could have euthanized her three years earlier. But God had said no. He had used her mightily in people’s lives most especially in my own. I had promised my vet not to talk and take up time. I did anyway of course. We conversed about her condition at the ripe old age of about 15. Severely disabled. Holes in her body from ulcers. Cancer. Breathing problems. Unable to walk anymore. Hard to turn over, to sit up. Usually cuddled next to paralyzed Mr. Simeon. But amazingly, always perfectly bright and content.
“You can euthanize her now. Or not. She’s having trouble breathing. The ulcers won’t get better because of her medication. But she’s not in pain. She’s not suffering. She’s struggling, Lara. But you know, she’s always struggled. She’s struggled her whole life.” There it was. The powerful lesson God was giving me through my dying dog.
Part of the reason I believe people are attracted to me and my ministry is that I’m real. Raw. Transparent. Open. I don’t stand behind a pulpit looking like I have the perfect life. I don’t at all. I don’t pretend I don’t fall. Or have problems. I struggle every single day. I have for as long as I can remember. Just like Little Miss Miracles. And, just like her, by God’s grace and in the strength of His Spirit I keep going forward. I don’t quit. I learn daily how to walk with God. How to follow Jesus. How to live by God’s Word. How to fall ever more in love with God. How to serve, honor, praise, worship, and adore Him no matter my struggles. How to repent when I need to. How to depend on Him for everything just like Little Miss Miracles learned to depend on me. Believing in Christ as Lord does NOT mean we won’t struggle, but that we don’t give up no matter our struggles and keep following Him with hearts of love and perseverance. I took my sweet dog home, knowing I’d return soon to say my final goodbye.
No matter your struggles, don’t give up. Follow Christ!