Today
is a hard day for my family. We have, for almost five years, enjoyed two great
dogs. Sadie WalkerTexasRanger and Howitzer JackBowitzer whom we affectionately
call, “Howie.” Sadie is a boxer and Howie is a Heinz 57 mutt. They are great, a
little overweight, well trained, great with kids, the consummate guard dogs,
big babies, and grocery destroyers. When Katie and I followed the Lord in our
call to missions, we never knew all it would cost. We are giving away many of
our goods, selling our house, and today, giving our dogs away.
Now
some of you might go online and look at the requirements for bringing dogs
overseas. Before you do, let me assure you, it is possible that Sadie and Howie
come with us. However, we are not thrilled about them spending time in
quarantine or living in an apartment. Even worse, would be putting them through
this twice in one calendar year.
For
us, our dogs served as children place holders. For several years, we were
trying any avenue to have a child. While we were there waiting, Sadie and Howie
were there. When we had multiple failed adoptions, Sadie was there trying to
lick Katie’s tears away. Howie, well he is a special dog and is perfectly happy
to just lay around and be pet or to just lay around. Now with Hannah they are
no longer place holders but are child protection and friend. One of Hannah’s
greatest joys after she is finished eating her food is to drop her food on the
ground for her two patiently waiting friends. I saw it (and without attempting
correction) yesterday and I have no idea how much food Hannah eats. I also know
why Howie is overweight!
Things
have not always been great with Sadie and Howie. A couple of years ago, they
decided to make a break for it and take a vacation in the nature preserve.
Howie came home after five days and Sadie eight (she is a bit more stubborn).
All
in all, today is a sad day because we love those two dogs. They are going to a
great home with new owners who love dogs and will have time for them. Today is
tough because it is another loss we are experiencing as we follow Christ.
Paul
writes to a church and recounts who he used to be and what he had and says, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because
of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have
suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may
gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that
comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the
righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power
of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his
death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead
(Philippians 3:8–11).”
Today,
we are experiencing another loss but we will gain more. It is incredibly sad to
see these two dogs go. But we praise God for the time we had with them and for
how He made them. God made animals, dogs especially, (the verdict is still out
on cats), with an innate ability for love and relationship. This ability is how
God created them and for that He is praise worthy. A dog is a man’s best
friend. I prayed the other day and it ended with, “Lord anything but my dogs.”
But I don’t want to settle for a “best friend” when I can have a Savior and
Heavenly Father. When I see the love these dogs have, it is infinitely better
in Jesus. These days make us focus on loving our Creator not his creation
because what we love in creation is really what we love about him. It just
hurts to see it sometimes.
