I’ve always believed that God was all-knowing and cares about His children. However, I recently learned He also has quite a sense of humor.

Here’s what happened.

I could hear my husband’s voice echoing from across the fence, “Allison come here, I need your help.” He repeated his request as I made my way from my neighbor’s backyard to our front gate. I found my husband holding one wiggly puppy and pointing down the street to a second. She was running away from our house looking back and slowing to a final stop in the middle of the road. I took a few steps toward the curb, motioned for her to come to me, and said, “Come here, girl.”  The puppy came running until she was resting at my feet. We safely retrieved both little ones and made our way back into our yard.

So, here is the sense of humor, all-knowing and caring God part. These two little ones came to us on the one-month anniversary of our 14-year-old dog passing. My husband sweetly points out that it wasn’t at the exact same time, God was off by about an hour. And to just further point to God’s care, that morning I woke sad, well actually very sad. In fact, I had melted into a puddle of tears after watching my neighbor’s dog running and playing in his yard. Our dog’s passing left a hole in my heart and it still hurts.

Now here comes the giant lesson I learned about holes in the heart and stray puppy visitations. Sometimes, we try to fill our holes with beautiful distractions.

To be honest with you, I’ve used this distraction technique throughout my life. The hole that opened after a failed marriage was diverted by empty relationships and an obsessive focus on work and school. The pain of childlessness was first numbed by an attempt to adopt and when that also failed, the wound deepened and I spent endless hours running wilderness trails, countless trips to the gym, and even more hours at my job.

I think you get the picture. When stuff happens, I have a tendency to want to smooth it over and keep moving rather than work through it and heal. The practice works until it doesn’t, until two puppies show up at your door and you have to face the reality you can’t cover and hide anymore.

So, what did we do with the two puppies? We called in the troops! Our neighbor brought over an extra crate, food, and toys. We dusted off an old dog bed and bought collars, a water bowl, small food dishes, and more food. We placed ads on social media and walked the streets looking for flyers about lost dogs. We visited the local animal shelter to check if they were chipped, and the hole slowly began to fill. Do you see the pattern surfacing?

We were told by the shelter staff we had to keep them for 30 days. This would be sufficient time for the owners to find them, so we waited. And during that time, we cleaned up poop and pee from remote locations in our house, even from under my desk and even when we had just been outside – I mean 5 minutes ago. But the Girls, as we lovingly called them, filled a hole, a cavernous void that was our beloved Titus.

So, we waited until one morning when I got a call from the shelter. They wanted to check on the Girls and see if we had heard from their owners. And then the young woman shared a piece of information that I had ignored previously, if the pups were surrendered to the shelter, they could go up for adoption in days, not a month. They would microchip and vaccinate them, and get them prepared for their forever home. She went on to say, “You’ve done your job by rescuing them, we can take it from here.” And as I turned and looked into the eyes of those two sweet puppies, it clicked. I don’t have to save, fix, or control everything. In fact, I can’t. God has shown me this time and time again. It’s just I’m a slow learner, I think it is part of the human condition.

So, the Girls are safely tucked in the shelter waiting for their 3-day hold to expire and they will go up for adoption. When we dropped them off, the shelter staff echoed, “They will be adopted so fast. Everyone loves small dogs.” And I sit here typing this post with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes because the hole remains open and I need to take the time to grieve the loss of our dog and all the other losses I’ve covered up trying to ignore.

I want to encourage you, to please don’t use distractions to help you hide from the grief, pain, or suffering you may be experiencing. The distractions bring their own set of frustration, anxiety, and trouble. I am learning the only way out of an emotional pit is going through it. And the only way through one is by holding on tight to God’s loving promise of never forsaking or leaving.

Sometimes he brings us puppies just to remind us it’s not ours to fix or control. Other times, He whispers softly, “Let go.” However, He speaks to you, please listen intently for His voice and surrender to His instruction. And remember above all else,

“The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.” Joshua 1:5

Be Blessed His BeLOVED,

Just a reminder, if you find a puppy running around in the street, please don’t just pass them by - stop and pick them up. But be cautious, that beautiful distraction may not be yours to keep.