Paws to Reflect for Dog Lovers. Kim McLean

the dog looked up at him with a grateful glance as he drank the water as if he were in a desert and this a once-in-a-lifetime rain. This ritual was repeated daily, and the dog began to wait in happy anticipation for his new friend. Another anonymous present one night was a big dog house. Then he added a portable dog kennel with a cover. With every new gift, the time he spent with the dog created a bond.

      So, one evening when he saw a car in the driveway, he stopped and knocked on the door. The owner of the dog turned out to be a nice person who had just taken on more than he was ready for with a dog. He wasn’t mean. He was overworked and underpaid, and his circuits were just completely overloaded when it came to his life, and his dog’s care was just a reflection of that overload. As he spoke with my friend, he began looking relieved at the prospect of his dog going to a new home.

      Instead of instantly criticizing the young man for his poor care of the dog, my friend spoke of his own growing love and attachment to the animal. Change did not happen because of judgment but because of love, the only true motivation for good.

      All the good works in the world don’t pave our way into heaven. All our bad deeds don’t keep us out. To God, every heart and motivation is transparent, and he compassionately deals with all he sees.—d.o.