HE HAS MADE EVERYTHING BEAUTIFUL IN ITS TIME
Why Do Dogs Live Such Short Lives
I have often asked the question why our pets live such short lives. How can something that brings so much joy be taken so quickly? Then I realized that if we kept them twice as long, the pain of losing them would be twice as bad.
With those beautiful and loving eyes they trust us to take care of them. Their lifetime might be short, but in that short time, they give us a lifetime of love and loyalty. We make them a part of our family and our lives. But to them we ARE their whole life.
So again, I ask why must they go so quickly? There is a time for everything. (Ecclesiastes 3)
HERE FOR A SEASON
We may never fully understand the reason dogs are with us for only a season. Like Mary Poppins, they pop into our lives, do their job and then they are gone. With time we adjust and we move on. But they are never forgotten. It’s hard to understand why we have to let them go.
LETTING GO
Recently, we had to put down our kids’ childhood pets. Peanut was sudden and quick. But Dottie was struggling and dying a slow death. We had to forget about ourselves, the beautiful memories they brought us, and just let them go.
MAKING EXCUSES
Honestly, we should’ve let Dottie go a couple months earlier but we kept trying to make excuses for why we needed to keep her. “Oh she still has life”, “she will get better” or “she’s still happy,” were some of our thoughts. We have the tendency to hold on to what used to be, even when it’s dying. We make excuses to justify our actions.
Sometimes in life, we hang on to things in order to remain in our comfort zone. Some things and some friendships are in our lives for only a season. We can’t embrace the new season if our hands are not free or filled with the past season.
We hang on hoping things will change. But change will come when we release what our hands are clinging to now. If you are hanging onto something that no longer has life, I encourage you today to make a move. Let go of what you are presently holding, so your hands can be free to embrace what’s coming.
EMBRACING CHANGE
Change is good when change is God. Some things we don’t understand. We can all recall drastic changes that we didn’t think we could endure but in the end, they turned out as though they were beautifully orchestrated.
For me, my doggies left right around the time my kids left. I have entered a season of no dogs and empty nest. At the same time, my husband has begun his business traveling. Suddenly, I found myself free from responsibilities that I actually enjoyed. It would’ve been enough to send me off the deep end, had God not prepared me for this season ahead of time.
Although I was in a bit of denial, I knew in my heart that change was coming. I can’t say exactly how I knew, but I knew. Just like the sign of changing leaves indicates that a cold season is ahead, sometimes we just know.
As soon as I embraced change, change took place and doors began to open.
I am now free to travel back and forth to California to visit my aging parents. I am now able to travel to do speaking engagements. I am now free to focus on writing, which is a favorite thing I enjoy.
THE GOOD-BYE
Once I understood the benefit of epochs and seasons, I am able to smile when I think of my dogs. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of my little love machines. I thank God for the privilege of bringing them in my life, even if it was only for a season. I learned so many valuable lessons from them.
10 lessons I learned from my dogs Click Here
Their memory has left a lasting impression the same way my guest room has the lingering smell of my mom’s perfume. I am not a fan of her perfume but I am a fan of my mom. I frequently go in the guest room, I pause, breathe in and just smile. Not just an ordinary smile but an “I cherish your memories” type of smile. Then I go on with my day with happy thoughts.
PRAYER
I pray that you find peace today in the midst of your changing storm. We may not understand spiritual weather patterns or formations but I pray for you to understand that it is good to embrace this season of change. I pray that you would develop strength to just let it go.
SCRIPTURE
Ecclesiastes 3 New International Version (NIV)
A Time for Everything
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
What do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.
HE HAS MADE EVERYTHING BEAUTIFUL IN HIS TIME!
