A God-Sized Hug
Losing a Best Friend
It’s been a tough few days for us.
If you’ve ever had to put a dog down, one of your best friends, then you know how it feels.
You feel like you’ve been hit by a mack truck. The heartbreak lingers for a long, long time.
It happened just recently to my husband and I. Misty, one of our beloved family pets, had an enlarged tumor and wasn’t responding well to a last-ditch treatment. We tried everything to help her over the last few months. At 11 1/2 years old, we agreed with the vet that putting her through a painful surgery and risky recovery wasn’t a safe option. The day before we put her down, I had whispered to her to tell us when it was her time.
We woke up the next morning to find her suffering, and we just knew.
That horrible Saturday of her death, my husband and I were both in tears as we held her and talked to her during those final shots. It was excruciating to be there, but we wouldn’t have been anywhere else.
It Hurts to Lose a Best Friend
Our dogs are cherished family members to us. All it takes is a painful time like this to remind us that life is short and we should cherish our loved ones, whether they be human or a doted-on furry friend.
Misty was full of personality. From her picture you can see what a beauty she was. Her coat was mostly white, but she had some patches of dark grey fur. After she was groomed, she would look like a big cotton ball.
Even though she’s gone, I see little reminders of our girl every day. A little tumbleweed of white fur comes out from behind a dresser when I’m vacuuming. Her pink collar and leash are still in our garage every time I go outside to get in my car. I see those and sigh. Memories of her stomping her feet demanding her dinner and chasing the other dogs in the backyard come flooding back.
A God-Sized Hug
I must tell you about something incredible that happened when we got home from that tear-jerking trip to the vet. This is one of so many examples of why I delight in God.
Call it coincidence if you want. For me though, it was grace.
My husband and I got home that awful morning and were comforting our other dogs. I heard the familiar notification sound that I had a new text on my phone. I went to check it. It was a sweet text from a friend of mine in Fort Worth saying that she was thinking about me AND that God had put me on her heart.
Wow. 🙂
Less than an hour later, a dear friend from Virginia texted me. Same thing – she said that God had put me on her heart so she texted me right after that.
What an extraordinary God we have.
25 The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:26 The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. – Numbers 6:25-26, KJV, Public Domain.
Praising Him all the day long!
This past Saturday, my husband and I attended the “Sounds of Joy” tour at our church. Cana’s Voice, piano virtuoso Stan Whitmire, and talented vocalist/comedian Mark Lowry delighted the crowd with their passionate performances.
I admire foreign missionaries more than I can say. It takes a special person to take the training and learn the culture to be able to acclimate abroad. Many of these missionaries risk their lives every day. They gladly accept the risks, including facing religious persecution and death, to spread the gospel.
If you are actively sharing your faith with others, then you’re working in a mission field. Don’t feel discouraged if you’re not able to travel with a missionary team. Your mission field doesn’t have to be overseas. It can be where you are right now. We must all look for those opportunities where we can talk about our delight in God with the world. 