|
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." (Ephesians 1:3 NIV)
We may officially call our canine best friend a “rescue”, but I can tell you with all honesty that she has rescued … me!
Kia came to us back in March of 2023. She was likely a puppy mill rescue. Besides being a pure breed, she is an excellent sample of her breed. We also know she had just had a litter of puppies before being rescued. We are only guessing about the puppy mill part, however, for the only solid facts we have are that she was scared to death … of people, especially children, loud noises, thunder, fireworks, other animals, you name it.
It didn’t take long for Kia to learn to love and trust us, however; and although she continues to struggle with many senseless fears, she knows she is safe with us. It is evident that she is grateful. Although being of a breed who tends to be shy and reserved, needing her down time, she has started to love being petted. But more than this, she tries to pet us with her paws and her soft tongue.
So that’s how we rescued her, and that’s how she has responded to us. But how has she rescued me?
As most of you know, I have advanced dementia, and with each day I slip lower and lower into the dark depths of cognitive decline. And the word “dark” isn’t only a figurative term either. My eyes have been attacked, and every day my visual field narrows even more to the point that my wife has to turn my plate for me so that I can see that I haven’t finished my dinner. In addition, I have a very difficult time understanding and my speech is mostly non-coherent. I can’t read or write (I pour out my thanks to my wife who takes the ideas I come up with and works them into devotionals for me!), and my little world had become very, very lonely.
Kia has changed all of that. She is my little ray of sunshine. I spend good portions of every day sitting beside her and petting her, and my greatest joy is to take her for a walk with my wife or to feed her or give her treats.
The other day, my wife wanted to go into Winners and pick up some leggings. Somehow our route took us passed the “pet” section, and my feet slowed. It wasn’t long before I had a bright orange stuffed toy … only it was flat, without the stuffing … in my hand. Someone had put in some crinkle paper, and the toy crinkled every time you touched it. We just had to get this for Kia. But wait … why was my wife putting it back on the shelf???
“She’s got a lot of toys,” my wife said. “Besides, she doesn’t really know how to play!”
My speech may be significantly affected, but the messages my eyes send are not. My wife took one look at the longing look in those eyes and gave in. We brought the orange bear home, where it has since become Kia’s favorite toy.
It makes me think. First of all, Kia didn’t need that toy. My wife was right. She has shelter and love and food and water and twice-a-day walks, definitely all that she needs to be healthy. And in addition, she has a whole box full of other toys. But I knew she would love that toy.
In the same way, God gives us blessings on a daily basis.
Most of us, in the western world at least, don’t worry about things like shelter and food and clean water. God gives us these blessings so often that we get to the point that we don’t remember these as blessings at all. We take them for granted. Yet they are blessings. And God doesn’t just supply our basic needs, either. In addition, He also gives us “orange bears” – things we don’t “need”, but things He knows will make us happy. Here are a few examples:
Sunshine
Rainbows
Beautiful fall colours
Good friends
Loving family
Pets
To say nothing of the love He personally provides when we trust in and surrender to Him: Protection, deliverance, joy, peace, wisdom, knowledge and ability, to name a few.
Yes, God gives us plenty of “orange bears”!
But remember when I said that Kia doesn’t play with a lot of her toys?
Guess what? We don’t either! God may give us joy and wisdom, rainbows and loving family, etc., but we don’t necessarily even give Him credit for these things, and often we take them for granted. Then it becomes easy for us to think, “God doesn’t care about … me!”
The next time you feel lonely or worried or scared, remember Kia’s orange bear. Remember that not only does God give us our essentials, but He gives us things we don’t necessarily need as well! The only reason we don’t feel spoiled is that we either don’t see these things, or we don’t recognize them as gifts from God! Ask God to show you the blessings He has poured out upon you, and then go looking for your “orange bear”! You’ll be amazed at what you find!
Inspired by Rob Chaffart
Director, Answers2Pryayer Ministries
|
