Lessons I Learned From My Dog

Sometimes the best advice you can give is none at all, but just sitting and listening. Sammy was good at that! He never gave advice, but it sure seemed as though he was listening. Sometimes people just need to someone to listen to them, to be there to have someone to cry on their shoulder.

Joyfulness

I have to admit, Sammy was a happy dog. It really didn't take much to please him. A part of my peanut butter sandwich, a walk out the road, a "field trip" in the car, scratching behind his ears or on his back at the base of his tail were joyful events for Sammy. When he was a younger dog, he would spontaneously run from room to room for maybe 5 minutes, and we would just die laughing watching him do it. The last night before he got sick, when we came back from vacation, he bounded into the house with Turtle and went looking for Kay, then they told him to go find "Daddy", and he came bouncing downstairs and found me. He just stood there, with his mouth open, tongue hanging out and tail wagging. He was a really happy dog, and that last moment is how I will always remember him.

Phil 4:4-5

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

The Koine Greek word for "rejoice" in Philippians 4:4 is the word chairo (khah'-ee-ro), and means "to be "cheerful, i.e. calmly happy or well-off; impersonally, especially as salutation (on meeting or parting), be well" (Strong's). We as Christians are to be a cheerful, happy people. However, I have found some people that profess Christ to be the opposite. Some people are just downright glum. And some people try to live the life as if each and every day is a "cross to bear", that being miserable is the way a Christian is supposed to be.

For Pete's sake NO! We all have our down days, but the Christian life is supposed to be marked by rejoicing. Hey, cheer up! Brighter days are ahead, and that is for certain. Death itself is not something to fear because you have the greatest hope--that is, expectation- -that you will have eternal life. You will be with God forever. You will never be sick again. You will see those that have died in Christ, and those that will die in Christ again.

Not only that, but we live in such luxury in our country. We really do. We complain about not having this or that, or that our finances are tight or that we work in an environment that is not conducive to a Christian. Folks, we have nothing to complain about. I was at a convenience store the other day waiting in line, and a little kid was cutting an absolute fit because he could not have a candy bar. I mean you would have thought that his mom denied this youngster a meal or something! Sometimes we act the same. We are so spoiled and ungrateful, even Christians.

No matter what the circumstance, we need to rejoice. We have so much to be thankful for, and so much to look forward to. I know I am blessed. I am blessed with a family that loves me, with Christian brothers and sisters that care, and with a church family that the love is reciprocal. Sammy was a gift from God, we loved him and will miss him. Thanks, God, for that time and thanks for allowing him to teach us!