Life Lesson from a Blind Dog

Little Glory knows her way around, but not in the traditional way. She does not walk by sight. She walks by faith. She hears my voice and follows. She trusts me. She knows who her provider is. She knows I will keep her safe and protected. She knows I will feed her, shelter her, and give her plenty of drinking water in the South Carolina brutal heat. She wags her little stub of a tail constantly to let the world know her joy does not come in what she can see. She is joyful because she has everything she needs. She never worries. She knows the source of all her supplies, so she makes sure to enjoy her life as fully as possible. Today she did something that reminded me of how the Lord calls me to live, and I remember the days not so very long ago Glory was deposited into my life with the most incredible story.

Today, I rearranged the “swimming pool” building for Walk by Faith Ministry’s dogs. The Lord has blessed me with a large property with plenty of land, a comfortable house, a 3000 square foot warehouse building, and an entirely separate insulated, purple painted garage building. A portion of the warehouse is dedicated to Red the miracle dog’s baby pool, and today I added a metal couch frame topped off with blankets and a nice fan so the dogs can have their own living room. I keep the massive warehouse door open, so the dogs can be “inside” next to the pool on their couch while they look outside. Several of the dogs took quickly to their new addition on the property, but Glory was immediately lost.

Glory heard my voice through a chain link fence panel, but she could not find her way around. So I lifted my lazy body off my beach chair and walked around the fencing to pick her up, walk her into the building, and deposit her onto the couch with the other dogs. Glory did not worry herself when I picked her up, she did not try to scramble out of my arms, and she was at perfect peace when I settled her on the couch. She had absolutely no idea where she was, only that she enjoyed her new location and did not need to concern herself with her geographical location. In fact, Glory has never worried about her whereabouts – or her condition or circumstances. This is rather astounding considering her background.

She was found over a year ago in South Carolina so emaciated she could barely walk for days, missing much of her body hair, chewed up in lice, with open sores on her body, with two cherry eyes, pretty much blind (though she may see shadows), and heartworm positive. The shelter said she needed to be euthanized. The veterinarian agreed. But a woman who knows of my faith in God contacted me where I lived in Virginia at the time and asked me to take her. I did. Within several months, the Lord has used her to lead a little girl to faith in Jesus and to continue growing me in my faith in Him. Not only have I watched a ragammufin, downtrodden, delapidated dog transformed by God into a gloriously Glory girl, but I have learned a vital lesson for my own faith journey.

When God delivers us from bondage, takes us out of a place He calls us to leave behind, and moves us into a new location either in our hearts or in our lives or both, He asks us to place our trust in Him. If the truth be known, I have not done what Glory has done. It was not enough for me to hear His voice. I held on for dear life to that which I was asked to leave behind, and in some areas of my life I find I still hold on to an extent – at least in one specific area. While Glory found immediate joy in her new location because she knew she would continue to be cared for as she has been before, I arrived at the threshold of my new destination and put both feet on the brakes.

While Glory had not a care in the world, I have had a million questions. Glory did not need to know how she would arrive at her new destination, but I wanted to know every step. She does not fear how she will manage where she is, nor is she afraid of where she will go next. I want to know everything.

Glory walks by faith. I have tried desperately to walk by sight. Sometimes I have a mustard seed of faith. Sometimes I even have a few seeds. Sometimes I even sow some of the seeds and start getting excited about a harvest to come. But I have such a very long way to go.

Glory sees every day as a Promised Land. I have stood just outside the door of the Promised Land wondering how and if I can manage once I step in. Thankfully, the Lord has led me in His Word to Deuteronomy 1 where He is teaching me about the trust and faith He desires.

When I am not in His Word studying what I need to apply to my life, I get to watch Glory and the other Walk by Faith Ministry dogs inspire me as they truly walk by faith.

I may not have arrived at where I am going, I may not be walking with the level of faith to which I aspire, but I have the tenacity that assures me I am 100% committed to learn how to live the way God calls me to – by faith in Him.

To God be the GLORY!

Deu 28:1 “And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:”