Paws for Coffee Hour

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Oh, I just love Thursdays because it’s PAWS for Coffee Hour. If you have a four-legged friend, I just know you will gain something from these blogs. So many of us can relate to loving our dogs in ways we just don’t seem able to love others…oh, the lessons we can learn from them! Grab your coffee, journal and even your Strand of Faith because I’m sure you’re going to find something knot-worthy that Jenn shares today!

This weekend I received some sad news.  My mother’s dog, Abigail, had passed away.  Abby was the sweetest dog I have ever known, so gentle and loving.  While my heart broke for my mother, the sadness keeps hitting me in waves as I scratch the head of her brother, my golden retriever Corey. I am trying not to think about how much time we have left with him.

Abby’s death was sudden.  She had gone to the groomers on Friday, was short of breath on Saturday, and gone on Sunday.  The cause was hemangiosarcoma, a malignant cancer that arises from the blood vessels with tumors often forming on every organ.    The vet told my mom that there was no way she could have known as Golden Retrievers often hide the symptoms of cancer from their owners until it’s too late.  He speculated that this is because Golden’s are so loyal and do not want to disappoint their owners.

As I prayed for peace for my mom, the Lord started to show me how many of us are like Abby.  Not that we have literal cancer running through us but cancer in our very soul.  Cancer is defined as a disease caused by an uncontrolled division of abnormal cells in a part of the body.  That first abnormal cell is introduced or activated then divides and spreads. 

Abuse, past hurts, rejection and other toxic things in our lives are introduced then grow and multiple within us if left untreated.  Many of us, including myself, get really good at hiding the pain, desperation, etc.  We don’t want to worry, bother, be a victim or acknowledge what is growing inside of us.  We think that the pain is who we are so it is easy to accept and cover up.

For me I had to realize that the things that happened to me weren’t my fault but I was allowing the “cancer” to keep growing.  I allowed the hurt to affect my heart.  Proverbs 4:23 tells us to “guard your heart for out of it flow the issues of life.”  The shift in my thinking came from the revelation of “What if you’re not who you think you are?” My DNA (made in the Father’s image) and my birthright (called to be a son or daughter of the King) determines who I am.  NOT: Trauma, family, forces against me, wounds, opinions, relationships or my limitations and failures. 

I started to change… not because of what I did but because I gave Jesus the power and authority over it.  Meaning I was no longer hiding it or holding it back.  The Apostle Paul was in prison but he was still free.  His past could have weighed him down but he allowed God to remove it so he could be what God called him to be. 

Coffee Hour friend, know that you are free. Know that God handcrafted you for a purpose not as a victim.  What is true about you in God’s heart?  Can you see it?  Can you agree with it?

If you’re uncertain, feel free to comment here at the blog, or email us and we’ll be more than happy to talk it over with you. Also, if you have a favorite dog moment, why not share it and become part of our PAWS for Coffee Hour blog!

Blessings,

Jennifer, Abbey and Corey