Our canine friend Maggie recently sought us out while dog sitting a rambunctious young pup. Maggie had played some with the younger dog, patiently endured the persistent attempts to play more, and now was urging us to help her find personal space. We chuckled and Joni remarked about what a good and easy dog Maggie is to care for.
Later I reflected on that comment. That was far from the case when we rescued Maggie from unknown circumstances nearly a decade ago. I reviewed her story from my book Stay. Here is what I wrote about our initial experience with Maggie.
For the first two weeks Maggie was pretty well behaved. But now she is showing some decidedly less attractive sides to her personality. She is independent. She is stubborn. She is affectionate only when she wants to be affectionate. She acts out on occasion. She chews things that are not approved for that activity. I am finding out that a “honeymoon” period is pretty common for rescue dogs. That was not mentioned in the brochure. Now that the honeymoon is over, I guess we get down to the challenge of making this relationship work.
I wish we knew more of Maggie’s backstory. We found out from the veterinarian’s report that Maggie had a fresh gash on her leg when she was rescued near Van Alstyne, Texas. The exam showed that she was visibly undernourished and tested positive for hookworms. Everything else was a mystery. Was she wanted and ran away? Was she unwanted and abandoned to fend for herself? Was she treated poorly? Had she been socialized with other animals and people? The details of her story—who, what, where, when, why—surely have influenced her behavior.
Maggie’s biggest issue has been trust. I certainly get that. She was captured, kenneled, and then fostered. If I had been bounced around as a child, I would have trust issues. Oh wait—I didn’t experience any of that, and I still have trust issues.
Of course, Maggie isn’t a unique case. Many rescued dogs suffer from behavioral baggage. Some have severe separation anxiety that may have started when the pups were taken from their mother too early. If a dog has fended for itself, it can become dangerously territorial over food and possessions. When a dog flinches or cowers at the gentlest human touch, it breaks my heart.
Each day, I tried to read Maggie’s expressions and body language. Did she think we were just one more way station on her sad journey? She seemed appreciative of everything we gave her, yet she was still wary. Her personality was friendly at times, but then she’d become withdrawn and want to hide. She would accept affection but she rarely initiated it. The message she was sending was “It’s okay. I can make it on my own.”
Stay: Lesssons My Dogs Taught Me about Life, Loss, and Grace
Those memories reminded me of my own journey. I came to Jesus with baggage. I wasn’t abandoned but I certainly needed Him to rescue me from my own selfish desires and stubborn insistence that I could “do it on my own”.
I thought about my experience with Maggie and compared it with how Jesus could report His experience with me.
Both of us could be frustratingly inconsistent in our obedience. We shared a penchant to react impulsively to certain stimuli instead of calming evaluating our next step. We both chose to be selective with our affection and caring for others.
Now I look at Maggie and I see how she has matured. She has learned to trust us and knows we will take care of her. The only time she shows any anxiety now is when we are packing a suitcase and she knows her caretakers might be absent. That must be hard for a dog because they don’t have a calendar to know when or even if we are coming back.
Again, I compared that to my journey with Jesus. When I slow down long enough to reflect I can see how I have matured over the years. I have learned to trust Him. My obedience is no longer begrudging compliance but comes out of gratitude for the gift of grace and mercy I receive every day.
I can see how many areas of growth I have experienced. Satan wants me to focus on the areas that still need refining and ignore how much God has already done in my life.
I know that Jesus will take care of me today and forever. Because of that promise I don’t experience the anxiety that Maggie does on occasion. Jesus made this amazing promise in the Gospel of Matthew.
20 …And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:20, NLT
I have the assurance of my eternity and that I will never be abandoned.
The first canine hero of my book Stay was another rescued Labrador. Hannah was a once in a lifetime dog that came into a tough season of our life and was an amazing companion. To be honest, Maggie was a challenge compared to Hannah. But that is how relationships of love go. Some are easier than others, but all are worth the effort.
The apostle Peter said it well in his first letter, words that we all should take to heart.
Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.
1 Peter 4:8
We all fall short. We all sin. We all need love when we fail. We all need grace. My prayer for all of us is that we will become infectious carriers of God’s amazing grace. We played the long game with Maggie and she has become a sweet and gentle friend. Jesus plays that long game with me and I can see how His patient hand is refining me over time. If you are a follower of Jesus He is doing the same thing for you. Even if you are in a bad season Jesus is patiently and tenderly waiting to be your strength and bring triumph out of trials. My prayer is that you will trust and embrace the process.
