We finally got serious about getting another dog. A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I headed out to Dorothy O’Connor Pet Adoption Center. He’d already looked online and showed me pictures of dogs. I had my eye on a cute Shih Tzu with a gray face. She was there, a little doll, bouncing around like a pinball. Then Dave motioned to another dog, a white dachshund with gray spots and the distinctive line down her forehead with different dapple patterns on either side of her face. Black ears, one blue eye, and one brown eye. It was love at first sight. Apparently, we weren’t the only ones in love because there were already four other applications for her.
The tech took her out of the cage—Lacey was sweet and good-natured, everything we wanted in a dog. Fortunately, DOCPAC’s policy is first-come, first-serve when the animal becomes available, so we still had a chance. Bottom line: the person who wants the animal most will get there first.
My husband wanted this dog.
He’d gone in the day before and asked how to have the best chance of getting her. They mentioned signs were helpful, so I made him a sign, leaving no question about what dog he wanted. After that, he packed a thermos of coffee, bought snacks, and loaded a couple of movies on his Ipad in anticipation of an early morning and long wait. But here’s the clincher—he asked the Lord to wake him up so he could get there first. (And no, asking for heavenly help is not cheating.)
We’ve never been ones to wait in line for a long-anticipated movie or a big sale, but this just shows that all anyone ever needs is the right motive.
Dave was motivated.
He left the house at 3:00 am and arrived at DOCPAC around 3:30. He parked his truck so that anyone else driving up could see the “I’m here for Lacey” sign on his tailgate. At 4:17 am, another car drove up, waited a couple of minutes, then left. If Dave had slept until his alarm went off, he would not have gotten the dog.
Things on the home front were nerve-wracking at best. I’d call and text every so often for an update. Finally, at 10:30, he called and said he was driving home with our new puppy.
Lacey is the perfect dog for us. She’s playful and helps our other dachshund out of his old stodgy ways. So far, she’s pulled paperbacks off the bookshelf and chewed the corners. She steals Ike’s toy and squeaks it loudly just because she can. We find chewed-up wood and junk on our living room rug from outside. But she’s housebroken and knows about going for walks. And just like all puppies, she’s a cuteness overload. Definite win-win.
Many people have told us they wouldn’t have gotten up at 3:00 am to get a dog, but it was never about the time. It was about how much my husband wanted the dog.
How bad do you want something? Enough to miss a few hours of sleep? Enough to suffer the pain of being misunderstood or ridiculed?
Enough to hang on a cross?
Our relationship with God needed to be restored. We couldn’t do it ourselves, so God sent Jesus to rescue all humanity. But let’s get specific. Christ came for you and me. Much well-researched theology exists as to how His sacrifice fulfilled Biblical prophecy and how Jesus is God, but I like things plain and simple. I think God loved us so much that He longed for the separation between us to end.
His beloved Son died to make it happen.