We adopted Charlie from the Humane Society of Westmoreland County. Before he was our dog, Charlie was a stray. He is, what some folks call, a rescue dog.
No one is sure what kind of life Charlie led before he was picked up, but he must have been a stray for at least some time. He was found digging out of trash cans, and was under nourished and under weight.
On his very first visit to the vet as our dog, he weighed only 34.5 lbs. After his first year we had him up to 38 lbs., and our vet was pleased that Charlie was thriving in our care. These days, we sometimes get scolded for feeding him too much, and we work to keep his weight just under the 40 pound mark.
He lives a life of luxury now. No hunting for food, no worries about where he will rest his head. He always has a steady supply of toys and treats. Yes, Charlie has definitely been rescued from the scary life of a stray. But, he wasn’t the only one who was rescued!
I’m not even sure what I did before that dog came into my life! He makes me smile. He makes me laugh. He lets me cuddle him when I’m sad, and helays by my side at the end of the day. Charlie greets me each daywith a doggie smile and a wagging tail. That dog makes me happy!
I’ve seen the bumper sticker many times, “Who rescued whom?” I definitely need that for my car!
Charlie eases my stress level when I’ve had a bad day. It’s actually been shown in studies that having a pet helps with depression and improves over all health. Charlie has certainly had a positive influence on me! It’s hard to stay upset when you have such a cute guy wagging his tail and wanting to play or snuggle!
The great thing about a pet is, they don’t keep score of who is rescuing whom. They never worry if you’ve done more for them than they have done for you. Pets are just happy to love and be loved.
We don’t do as well, do we? Sometimes we get so caught up counting what we have done for others that we forget to count what they have done for us. Sometimes we forget the benefit that others are in our lives.
We are so blessed that God doesn’t do the same! Jesus forgives us again and again when we fail. One of our biggest mistakes, though, is thinking our failure is only in not loving Jesus. We forget that we are supposed to love one another, too!
It’s funny that throughout the bible Jesus keeps telling us to love one another, but we just don’t seem to get that part. We like to focus on the part about loving God, but not loving each other.
When God gave us the ten commandments, they were about how we treat God, but they are also about how we are supposed to treat one another.
When Jesus was teaching the disciples, he constantly told them that the way you love God is the way you love others. That doesn’t just mean the homeless person, or the kids with cancer, either. It means your very own spouse and children, even when they don’t help with the chores. It means loving your next door neighbor, even when she gossips about you. Those are sometimes hard things to do, but forgiveness is part of love.
Remembering that your spouse loved you when you acted unlovable; or that your children see you as a hero, even when you don’t feel like one; remembering that your neighbor showed you kindness when you needed it--those are the things that help us to see the face of Jesus in those around us.
Keeping our focus on the positive helps us to see more positive. Remembering that we haven’t gotten here alone, but with the help of others, reminds us that we aren’t just the rescuers. It helps to realize that through others, God is rescuing us. So Charlie, who rescued whom?
- Christy Cabaniss
Parish Minister
