Twelve Golden Puppies

One of our care center’s kitchen staff had a yellow Labrador retriever that birthed twelve golden puppies. When they were a month and two days old, the cook brought these cuddly creatures to our center’s gazebo for Family Fun Day.

Some attendants even brought their own little ones.

We were all charmed. The mother dog, however, looked exhausted. For most of that morning, she rested but kept a watchful eye on her pups.

When a toddler accidentally dropped a squirming pup, the mother dog was immediately at its side. What I saw that day was the quintessence of self-sacrificing love. Despite the dog’s fatigue, she instinctively knew she was the guardian of her pups —a faint reflection of God’s watch care of His children.

The puppies thrived. As they grew, they needed instruction modeled by their mother. God knows this about all His creatures.

He knows that we need an example to follow too.

Paul gives us wise counsel that is as simple as it is complex: “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:1, 2, NIV). Through that mother Lab’s watch care over her pups that morning, I witnessed a profound mystery. The subsequent month’s newsletter included photos of several joyful residents embracing the yellow pups. I yearn for that graceful interplay of love, watch care, comforting touch, and gentle pressure to shed light in my heart and soul. I long for the incredible beauty of heaven.

Thank You, God, for the opportunity to study more about the precious truths found in what You have created and in Your holy Word.

What can you do to help spread the truth of His Word? Which personal experience can you use to introduce your neighbor to God’s love for us, His earthly children?

Glenda-mae Greene