I’m crazy about my husband, Matt! He has been my best friend for 25 years. Within the first week of meeting him I fell in love. After nearly 22 years of marriage, my heart still leaps for joy when he comes home.
It was with these heartstrings that I decided to bless him for his birthday with a new puppy. I had wanted a Beagle puppy for quite some time. The opportunity arose to acquire one and I jumped on it.
Making a decision with my heart instead of engaging my brain beforehand has gotten me into trouble more times than I care to admit. This time it was no different. The Bible says in Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond remedy. Who can understand it?” (NIV) I should have read this verse before coming to Porthos.
Porthos was by far the cutest of the litter. He is a lilac Beagle; he named so because of his unique brown and white color and his hazel eyes. He is absolutely adorable with his long floppy ears and sad eyes. He was also the runt of the litter, so I was immediately drawn to the need for him and knew my family would be his rescue.
Within two months he was looking for a new home for Porthos. He had a high-pitched bark that was absolutely shocking the first time I heard it. My blood pressure went up and so did the noise in the house, because we couldn’t hear each other talk. My husband suggested getting a shock collar. “No way!” I emphatically announced. “We can’t electrocute him into submission!” Three days later I called Matt at work. “Don’t come home until you have a shock collar on your hands!” “I thought you didn’t want to get one.” Matt said. “That was before YOUR dog drove me crazy!”
For his pup’s safety, our vet suggested not letting him roam freely in the house. Good advice. We put him on a leash and wherever we walked, he walked. While he was preparing dinner, he would put his leash under the leg of our ottoman. He ate it. I moved it to the kitchen table. He ate that. We put him in our bathroom (he had no furniture to eat) while we were at church. We got home and discovered that he had eaten the baseboard and the wall. “That’s it!!” I exclaimed, “We have to find a new home for Porthos.” Within 3 days he was transferred to a new family. My sweet husband was heartbroken, but once again our house was at peace! “Aaagh, yes,” I said one afternoon, “Look, now we can relax without wondering what Porthos is doing.” We knew it was for the best, but we miss Porthos, especially Matt and our son Landon. Every night, Landon prayed that Porthos would come home. He should have known that God would be tender with this precious and sincere prayer of a little one. Two months later, Porthos was back. Matt and Landon were elated! To tell the truth, I was too! Although he drives me crazy, I truly love and care for Porthos. We were determined to make it work.
Unfortunately, determination is not always enough. Hard work, tremendous patience and many gray hairs have gone into the training of Porthos. He has eaten clothes, shoes and rugs. We put him outside and he digs holes next to every tree he can find. He has been neutralized, blocked, gagged, praised, redirected, and even harshly spoken to. We are all learning about patience, tolerance and unconditional love. Believe it or not, even with everything he’s done, I still find him adorable!
I guess God feels the same way about me. Even with my countless mistakes and sins, He still finds me lovable! How is that possible, I’ll never know this side of heaven. But when I see the precious smile of Jesus one day, I will know completely, just as I have been completely known.
So cheer up this new year; Wherever you are, whatever you have done, God’s love stands firm. He will always love and adore you! Nothing we do or have ever done will EVER change that! 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but for ALL to come to repentance.” (NIV) (Emphasis mine) Just like our patience with Porthos, God is always patient with us. Praise God for that!
