Your Dog's Not Dumb and God Loves You

I WAS STANDING OUTSIDE, letting the dog play in our front yard and visiting with a neighbor,

when an elderly gentleman pulled over, rolled down his window, and handed me a tennis ball. He pointed to Sasha and said, “That’s for her. I collect these and hand

them out to dogs randomly.”

It was such a sweet gesture!

Welcome Act of Kindness God Knew I Needed

I tossed it to Sasha, but I forgot to call her to attention first, and as it unexpectedly hit the ground, it startled her. I went over and picked it up a second time. When I threw it to her and

watched with amusement, she pounced on it with pure joy.

I had REALLY had a tough day that day. Someone had been very rude to me and honestly, I was blindsided, baffled, sad, and irritated that the situation could not have been handled

“adult-like” and with wisdom, grace, and maturity. So that simple tennis ball given to our sweet dog was a welcome act of kindness that God knew I needed that day.

Reminding Myself of What I Used to Tell the Kids

Years ago, when I was raising kids and the last two were in school, they would occasionally come home with complaints about being picked on or treated unfairly. My answer was

almost always, “Well, maybe they were just having a really bad day. Who knows? Maybe their dog died.”

Well, one day when that did not work, I said, “Well . . . they had a golden retriever whose name was Benji; he was the most amazing, loving dog that knew totally cool tricks. He was seven years

old today and ummm . . . he got hit by a car. You should really say a prayer for them and give them some grace.”

They would bust out laughing at my fictitious, sad story and in the future, they started coming up with their own “sad dog stories” in those situations. It seemed to take the sting out of those “mean-girl moments” they had endured.

The Co-Worker Who Hated Me

Over 30 years ago (pre-magazine), I had another situation where I had a co-worker who hated me. I didn’t know why and I dared not ask. But everyday I cheerfully said good morning, and I never gave up being nice.

About three years into this, she suddenly decided I was ok after all, and we

ended up becoming friends. We went shopping, to the movies, and were just friends to each other. I eventually left that job to go start the magazine, but when I left, things were as they ought to be. We were kind to each other.

Seeing the Bright Side

About ten years into the magazine, I saw her one day and she said, “Well just think, if you would have been more successful in that other business, you probably never would have started the magazine. And it’s a great magazine!”

Ok, sometimes you just have to see the bright side. I still laugh when I think of that conversation. She meant well.

Conflict that's Not Fair, We Don't Know How to Handle, or Don't Understand

So we all have those moments where there is a conflict that is either not fair, we don’t know how to handle, or we don’t even understand. There was one season when every part of my life was insulted incessantly.

My dog was dumb, I could not do anything right, every decision I made was insulted, every idea I had was met with a rude resistance, and every thought I had was criticized.

Being kind was my first go-to, but I learned early on that trying to talk about and reconcile the “issues and insults” that I was barraged with was met with a refusal to discuss or I was insulted for not knowing the comments were “jokes,” of course.

I finally started to just not speak much in that environment. Sometimes I dared get my hopes up when a nice moment or season happened. I will always have hope but . . . in this case, I found myself growing bitter.

And although my words continued to be nice, my heart was becoming ugly. And that is what our Creator looks at, the heart and its intentions.

[Jeremiah 17:10 says, “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind . . . ”]

But one day it just went too far, and I clearly saw it was affecting my life on a whole other level. And sometimes you just have a Proverbs 26:4 situation.

What Helped In That Conflict Situation

But you know what helped? During that season, I went to a restaurant and bought a couple of gift cards. There was one person in particular who was a total stranger, but I always

noticed how hard she worked when I entered the place of her. The other one, well, I prayed that God would just give me the right opportunity.

So the next time I saw her, I just said, “I know I don’t know you, but every time I come in here

and see how diligently you work at this job, it blesses and encourages me; I wanted to give you this gift.”

She never said a word, but her eyes welled up with tears. Before I left the same place, I spotted the next one I knew I was meant to gift and compliment. She just looked a little sad to be honest but was also working hard. I told her the same thing and she thanked me.

And the next time I came in, she started a conversation and began telling me about her

dog (seems to be a theme going on here . . . ).

It blessed me. In fact, it took the sting out of the other situation mentioned earlier that was COMPLETELY unrelated.

I was shocked at how much it helped. Shocked.

The Challenge for You

SO, I have a challenge for you.

First: Search your own heart. Even if it’s 85 percent long suffering, God wants your whole

heart to be His. Sometimes we face unfair situations in order to reveal where we are

weak. But also know you are a treasure not made to accept dishonesty or jealousy.

[MATTHEW 13:3 - MARK 4:2 - LUKE 8:4 - GALATIANS 1:10]

Second: Remember you can’t get there on your own; you need His strength.

[EPHESIANS 6:10 - MARK 14:38 -HEBREWS 12:1-2]

Third: Pick a locally owned business; the opportunities are endless to support local. Carry a gift card with you, and gift it to a TOTAL stranger, replete with a compliment. Make sure you do this after someone has been rude to you or you are having a really bad day. Reach out to us if you are the one who walked away blessed!

[PROVERBS 15:23 - PROVERBS 25:11]

Fourth: This may sound cliche, but be thankful for your biggest blessings. I have so much to be thankful for, such as a husband I adore, an amazing church family, and a smart dog.

HEBREWS 13:2

For the most part, I think most of us are blessed to be surrounded with kind, logical people. But in a fallen world, we all have these situations and strange moments that do not make logical sense. So I thought I’d share the thing that helped me the most; it might help you also.

Someone needs to hear this story at this particular time.

So as always, thank you for reading. And remember, your dog is not dumb and God loves you.