Whether you are a dog, a cat, horse, or amphibian person, most people like some sort of animal. If they don’t have a pet, they want one. For those who have a pet, they enjoying have one. Pets are one of those things that can bring so much joy into a person’s life.
I’ve had the honor of having my dog, Midnight, for the last 15 years of my life; that’s half of my life. We rescued her mom, Clover, and found out two days later that she was pregnant with five puppies. What a surprise that turned out to be! Shortly after Clover became ours, she had her puppies. The first one born was our beautiful baby girl, Midnight. We don’t know what breed she was, because let’s just say her looks matched none of the other puppies. She was the one that was voted on the island, and for the last 15 years gave joy in my life in more ways than I could even imagine.
Unfortunately, just the other day came one of the hardest decisions in my life — we had to put her down. She was in pain constantly and her quality of life just went downhill. It wasn’t fair to her. Though the pain is raw and cuts deeper than I ever thought it could. I knew, we all knew, this was the right decision.
The night before, we went to McDonalds and treated her to a hamburger patty, part of an ice cream cone, and drove so she could have the wind in her face. She felt like a young pup again and her pain momentarily vanished. However it was short lived and her pain came back. She was back to an unfair life. As I laid with her on the ground, for about 15 seconds she looked into my eyes with a look that said it all, “I’m ready, Lauren. I’m ready.”
Even though it’s hard and so many little things remind me of her, I know this was the best for her. We loved her so much that we gave up what we wanted which was to keep her around, and did what was best for her so she didn’t have to live in pain anymore.
That got me thinking, if we loved our dog so much that we were willing to go through the horrid pain of losing her, how much more does the Heavenly Father love us? He sent his Son, only Son, to die in the place of those who scorned Him, mocked Him, and grieved Him. Though Midnight might be a handful at times, she never constantly hurt us, ran away to live with another family, and so on. But mankind has done that with God over thousands of years. We grieve God. We turn away from Him. We constantly ignore His rules and teachings. We choose which ones we want to live by. We laugh at Him. We yell at Him. We curse Him.
How can a pet’s passing compare to sacrificing One’s own Son? Midnight was in pain. Jesus was not. Midnight was old. Jesus was not. We let go of Midnight because it was the best thing for HER. Jesus died because it was the best thing for US.
My family wasn’t asked to sacrifice Midnight for people who hated us and who hated her. We gave her the gift of peace and no more pain. But Jesus went through pain, torture, and suffering for the ones who even hated Him.
So, if you’re ever wondering if you’re worth it, if God even knows you, if God cares about you, remember His sacrifice, the pain and torture of His Son, and the reason why it happened. You should never feel unloved again.
“Amazing love! how can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?”
(Charles Wesley, pub. 1738)
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Rest in peace, my little girl. Thanks for protecting me and always bringing me a toy to play with.
Midnight Grace
2003 – 2018
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Keeping the perspective,
Lauren
For The Love of A Dog
You. Are. Beautiful. 
Dear Midnight Grace’s precious family. My heart is sad & my eyes are full of tears tonight not only for Midnight’s trip over the Rainbow Bridge but for my soul. My faith died 32 years ago & no matter what I do I can not bring it back to life. I have done so many things, taken many classes….. whatever I thought would help put me back in the grace of God. I feel so empty without my faith & even the belief I had at one time. I’ve tried to live in spite of my lack of faith & even trying to forget about it until I read your story. Now my heart is aching. I want to love God but it just isn’t happening. I feel so helpless & in a lot of ways so alone. I’ve talked to the Lord & begged him to help me find my faith but then I feel I am talking to brick wall. I get no feeling or indication at all that there is a God who even cares a little bit. I am so sorry to unload this on you my friends but I reach out every where & to anyone I can because I feel if I keep trying God will hear my plea & grant me the grace I need to have my faith back in my heart & mind again.
Dear Nancy Logan,
I was reading “For The Love Of A Dog” who shared a very sad but heartfelt and uplifting message. Then I read your your story and my heart went out to you. Yes this can feel like a empty world without faith. We have all been through troubles and trials (some much more than others) that can really bring us down and shake our faith. But faith isn’t something you have to work for or earn from God. Satan wants to make you think that you can’t get it back or find it again. But Satan will always be a liar. Do NOT be discouraged my friend. God has His arms open to you right now and will be there for you the moment you ask. You may not “feel” Him all the time but believe me He loves you and wants to bless you. I have walked with God for many years and I have also walked away from God or just kinda forgot about Him during times of my life. But we can never do anything bad enough that He won’t forgive us. He’s just waiting for us to say we’re sorry and ask Him to forgive us. Try thinking of God as if you are a little girl and He is your daddy. A small child trusts their daddy and doesn’t have to worry about things. They know their daddy will take care of them and they trust him. That is called child like faith. The Bible says we have to become as little children. So finding your faith is just learning to trust Him again. It doesn’t matter what has happened in the past, nor what happens in the future. You just believe that God knows what is best and He will take care of you. We still pray….pray daily for the things that touch your life. For yourself, for other people, for healing, finances, a closer walk with Him, etc. You may or may not “feel” or “hear” something from Him. But no matter what He IS there and He loves you and wants to take care of you. Yes bad things still happen to good people. But God will carry us through those times and He can use them for His purpose to guide and help us get closer to Him. My problem for years was I kept trying to make someone close to me make changes that would “fix” the wrongs in my life. But I had my eyes on the “problem” & that “person”, instead of keeping my eyes on God and trusting Him to do what is best for me. I am 62 years old and I am still learning and growing and making mistakes. But having faith is simply trusting in God each day, and just trying your best to live for Him. Reading His word, attending a spirit filled church, and spending time with other believers will strengthen your walk with Him. You can’t “do” anything to earn faith. It already belongs to you….for as Lauren said in her message above…. God sent His son to die for us. So Jesus already bore our pain and paid for our sins and we are all now heirs of God. We just have to accept it. “It’s not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit saith the Lord”. As you begin to trust in God and start seeking Him daily – you WILL start to feel Him and hear from Him. And your faith will increase even more if you invite the Holy Spirit into your life. That will take you into an even closer walk with Him. And when Satan tells you that you can’t find your faith or find God or that God doesn’t exist… you just speak to Satan directly and tell him he is a liar…..and you keep holding “your daddy’s” hand.