Blessing in Black and White

 

1/6/2022

Proverbs 12:10 "The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel." NIV

It is always so interesting to me how God uses situations we never expect to change our lives. This can happen many ways, of course, but in my world the change came in the form of a black-and-white puppy. She became a part of our family several months ago and has turned everything in our lives upside down. She has brought back to us the unconditional love that only an animal can, and has been teaching us how to be patient in very different ways. 

For me, one of the most unexpected things is that she is encouraging activity, as she is a very active little girl herself. She requires plenty of play times and several walks every day. We each take turns (well, most of the time) walking her, and it has had a great effect overall. I have been struggling with getting back to a normal routine of minimal activity, and I have gained weight during this time of fear and uncertainty. It is interesting how we seem to be able to rise to the occasion for others, in this case our pup, when we have a difficult time doing it for ourselves. I have had deep spiritual wrestling in this area of my life. I know God's plan is for all of us to take care of our earthly vessels, but I fail in that area a lot of the time. God sent this little furry ball of energy to our family for many reasons, but one of them is definitely to improve our health and well-being, and certainly increase our joy. I tell you, dogs are angels wrapped in fur, and our blessing is black-and-white.