An old dog can teach you something new

I have an old mixed breed "Afrikaaner" dog that I took over when he was 9 years old.

His owner's were immigrating and couldn't take an old dog with them and they took him to the vet to have him put down. The vet's receptionist wouldn't allow it and took the dog home herself but she already had 7 dogs and couldn't afford to take on another one. As I had just lost my beautiful mixed breed Husky/German shepherd a few months earlier, a friend suggested I take him over. Which we did and called him Angus, a name my son chose. He is now 12 years old and has real trouble walking with his back legs that keep collapsing under him and seems to get worse every week. Other than being a bit decrepit he is happy and healthy living on pain killers for his legs.

Yesterday he had a bad day and struggled to get out of his bed and with my son helping got him up. He started walking but slipped on the tiled floor. I tried to help him get up but he snapped at me and bruised my skin because I probably touched a sensitive area. I tried again with a towel muzzle and a different approach. Holding him carefully with his back legs in the air, until he could get a footing on solid ground and could stand on his own. Then steadying him carefully as he took a few steps, until he could stand safely on his own.

As I was opening up my devotion afterwards, the verse that God gave me that morning was #psalm40v2

"He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along."

Just as I cared enough for my dog to try assist him from his fallen state, even though he snapped at me, so God cares enough for us to help us even we me snap at Him.

Getting out of difficult "muddy" areas in our lives can make us irritated and impatient. We might not even trust the hand that God holds out to grab it and rescue us.

If we can be like Peter who had faith enough to walk on water when he saw Jesus but when he saw the waves and wind, doubted and began to sink. If we, like Peter, can still have enough faith to grab the hand that is held out to us to help us back on the boat , then our feet will find solid ground. #Matthew14v29

Just like my dog, we might not be ready to walk forward yet but God is ready to steady us and make sure we are ok to walk forward on our own. We don't have to do it without help.

When our children start to walk and take their first tentative steps, we as parents are super excited but we are close by to hold a hand and catch them when they fall. They will fall and they will get up again and try again.

We need to know that no matter what our mud or mire is at this time, God will put our feet on solid ground, steady us as we catch our balance and help us move forward to the next step in His perfect plan. I know that God gave me this verse and the reminder of my dog to know that God cares enough to grab my hand, set my feet safely on the ground and steady me as I move forward and cares enough for you too.