One Last Blog About Mabel

I’m writing today one last blog about our dog, Mabel.  After rupturing a disk in her lower back last Friday and quickly becoming paralyzed in her lower extremities, on Monday we had to have her put to rest.  Her quality of life was gone and we didn’t want her to suffer any more than she had.  Of course, it was a sad day for us. 

We got Mabel about ten years ago from the animal shelter in Bergen County.  I remember coming home from work one day and telling Kim I had found our dog! I had gone on petfinder.com, put in the specs we were looking for in a dog, and up popped Mabel.  Within a week, Mabel came home. She was not only shy but as well, a bit afraid.  During those early days, and on into the years to come, whenever she was nervous or afraid, she would come to me and lean her back up against me to find comfort and shelter. After all, I was the “alpha dog” in the house—or, I like to say, the “top dog!” (Kim was the nurturer, thus she went to Kim when she wanted to eat. And the kids, especially Nathaniel, were her playmates!) 

Looking back, it’s almost kind of odd to me the way she trusted me.  From the first days, as I would sit on the ground near her, she would come and cuddle up inside my lap and quickly calm down and gain new confidence.  I know I wasn’t always the most patient with her (she was a bit quirky and could become a nuisance—and, she shed!). And, I was the disciplinarian. But she always knew that she could find a sense of refuge in me.  She knew that when she was nervous or afraid, I would never turn her away.  Thus, she quickly came to trust me. 

I wonder whether or not you and I have that same kind of trust in God, our heavenly Father.  To whom do we run when we are afraid, nervous, in need of comfort?   The Psalmist wrote, “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” (Psalm 91:1-2 – NIV)  The prophet Isaiah wrote, “You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat.” (Isaiah 25:4 – NIV) 

As Mabel trusted me to be her place of refuge, there are times in my life when I need to have that same kind of confidence in God; a confidence that would send me running to my heavenly Father.  I know the same is true for you.  As Mabel used to rest in my lap and therein find comfort, may we learn to find rest and comfort in the presence of God at work in our lives. 

“The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1 – NIV) 

Have a great day!

Pastor Tim Harris