I read an advertisement for puppies last week. The advertisement was in a city in Texas in the local paper. The advertisement read: “Don’t settle for second best! Exclusive looks. Top breeder with excellent credentials. Elite clientele. Puppies $600!”
But I also heard about a different pet story two weeks ago.
My niece and nephew Jill and Jesse Wooten and their three children live in Rochester, Minnesota. In early January, Jill read in the Minneapolis paper that there was a dog that had been injured in the Joplin, Missouri, tornado last year. The little terrier was a special needs dog — blind in one eye and with a broken tail. To make matters worse, he had been traumatized so badly in the tornado and aftermath that he was a finicky eater.
The owners were never located. The folks in Joplin could no longer care for him and the little dog was scheduled to be euthanized in December so the rescue group in Minnesota took him in. This dog was up for adoption.
Then Jill connected with the rescue organization in Minnesota. She found out about the one eyed, broken tailed, finicky eater little dog. Then she saw his picture and the matter was settled — they decided that they wanted him.
The family had to pass a home inspection and visit. The people at the rescue organization interviewed them and determined the Wooten family was the perfect match. So Jill and her oldest Sophie headed to Minneapolis to pick up the little dog from Joplin, Missouri — the little dog who had been through who knows what.
They named him Dexter.
Immediately Jill’s three loved Dexter. Instead of them playing with the neighborhood children, they play with Dexter. When they eat lunch, they fix something special for Dexter. When they nap, Dexter is right there with them. When they watch television, Dexter has been given the prized chair — the Elmo cushiony chair.
Now Dexter feels quite at home, so much so that he spends his days basking in the sunshine that comes in through the patio door curtains or lounging in the bed with the children.
Yes, they love Dexter. His one eye does not matter. His broken tail is immaterial to them. His finicky eating habits are overlooked and even accommodated. Dexter is now a proud member of the Wooten family and the children take pride in him, love him, protect him and even cherish him. Dexter is theirs…that is all that matters.
Today Dexter is settling in and he has become dependent on their family. He was lost and but he is now loved and adored by three wonderful children and a family that will see to his needs the rest of this life.
Is that not like how Jesus took us in? First, Jesus said: “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” (Luke 19:10) We were lost … we had flaws … we could not orchestrate things on our own. We could not save ourselves. Jesus cared about the sad state of sin we were in and provided a way for us to know a better life. He came just to find us.
Second, He came to give us abundant life. Jesus said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)
Jesus stepped in and rescued us. He offers us a meaningful and abundant life. He loves us. We just have to accept His love and trust Him.
Judy Brandon is a Clovis resident. Contact her at:
cbrandon@plateautel.net
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