Making a Difference

We made a difference for this one.

Our 20 year old daughter, just adopted a pup from a nearby animal shelter. When we arrived to look at the adoptables, it was both overwhelming and heartbreaking. It was a really big shelter and it had been closed down for the pandemic so no dogs had been adopted for many weeks. It was almost completely full. The dogs were well cared for and their stalls were clean and the place smelled clean, but walking by stall after stall was really sad.

Some of the pups that we walked by, would come right up to us; some would cower in the corner; some would bark at us. There was a lot of noise. But, there was one that caught my daughter’s eye and she asked to see him. We took him outside and spent some time with him. He was anxious for attention and affection and she knew that he was the one.

She completed the paperwork and a week later, Marshall was hers.

I thought a lot about the other pups long after we left. I thought about how it wasn’t possible for me to help all of them and how easy it is to get overwhelmed in a world with so much need, especially in the current Covid-19 situation we find ourselves in. Sometimes we feel it’s all too much and we can’t help with all of the need anyway, so we just do nothing. But, the truth is doing anything is better that doing nothing.

We can always simply text a friend or neighbor who we know is struggling with loneliness, anxiety, fear or just simply too much on their plate, or better yet, we can call them. It’s amazing that we rarely use the machines we call telephones to actually talk anymore. I recently read that letter writing has seen a surge. When was the last time I wrote a letter? We can post something positive on social media and share some hope. We can make a donation to an organization that is helping others and remember to donate to our local church even if we aren’t attending physically.

Most importantly, we can remember to pray and ask God for guidance. He can use every one of His people during this time to share His light, love and glory. He is not limited by this pandemic nor is He limited by our imagination or lack of resources. When we put what we have to offer in His hands, it will always be more than enough.

No, we couldn’t save all of the pups at the shelter, but Marshall got a brand new life and for him, it was enough. A trip to an animal shelter reminded me that the world will always be a place full of need and noise, but we can always make some kind of difference. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you did too!

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂