Sandy reminds me that there’s a blessing in both giving and receiving.
Yesterday morning when my dog Sandy, came in from his morning business break, he was desperately trying to get something out of his fur. It was still dark outside, so I brought him into the light for a closer look. He had gotten into a sticky weed with tiny little seed pods that were stuck in his fur.
He patiently waited for me to get it out. Sandy gets different things in his fur depending on the season and he requires different levels of assistance. Sometimes it’s just leaves that require some extra brushing before he comes back into the house.
In this case, the little seeds were stuck pretty well in his fur and it took some effort to get them out. He didn’t mind. He knows he feels better after I help him.
Later on, he was gnawing on his paw and I knew that he had something wedged in it. I asked him to give me his foot. He hesitated at first. He really doesn’t like for me to handle his feet for some reason, but he eventually relented and like many times before, I found something lodged between the pads of his feet. After I gently cut it out, he was a new dog.
He pranced around and wagged his tail and asked for a treat. Life was good for him again because he accepted my help.
I thought about Sandy as I went about my day. I thought about how in different seasons he requires different levels of help to keep him happy, comfortable and healthy. I thought about how, for the most part, he trusts me enough to let me help him.
I thought about how sometimes dogs can be wiser than their humans.
We all need help sometimes, because we all go through rough seasons. There may be many seasons where we sail along without a worry in the world, but eventually, if we live long enough, we all endure hardships of some type. That’s when we need to feel like we can ask those who God has placed closest to us in our lives, for help.
That’s also when many of us fail. Personally, I’m more than happy to serve others. I like to help, but I’m reluctant to ask for help. And when I really think about it, that goes for me physically and spiritually. I’m ready and willing to pray for anyone who asks, but I don’t like to ask for prayers for me.
Perhaps you struggle with this too. Why is that? It’s not like I don’t need them or wouldn’t appreciate them.
The truth is, when we refuse to allow or ask others to help us or pray for us, we are robbing them of a blessing. Don’t we feel Jesus in our hearts when we serve others? Isn’t that a special connection to God? Don’t the people in our lives who we hold dear deserve that same blessing?
Isn’t Christian love supposed to be two-sided? Sandy’s fur incident reminded the importance of asking others for help when we need it. It reminded me that we are blessed when we give and when we receive. In the end, we need to do both.
Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy