It was clear who the culprit was. The evidence lay all around him. A piece of fuzz here and a torn off arm there. Monkey had lost an arm and Carl could care less. He lay in the sun as peaceful as could be without regard to his favorite stuffed animal.
Monkey had come home with him many months ago and had been there for Carl on those first terrifying nights of being away from his dog family. But now, it was clear that Carl had lost interest in the fuzzy companion. All he wanted was something to play tug-a-war with when he was in a fighting mood.
It’s hard to stay mad at this little guy for very long. He is still a puppy and we know he will occasionally pee on the floor or wake us up with his high pitched cry. And even when he does irritate us, we will continue to love him.
Unconditional love. Why is it so easy for people to love their pets when they make life difficult? Is it the look of innocence they give when they are being scolded? Or the way they want to be near you when you don’t think anyone else cares.
John 3:16 states: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The love God showers on us is so much more powerful than the love we have for our animals but sometimes we need a tangible example of what love looks like. So being the cool God that He is, He provides us with our four legged friends to help us understand love a little more clearly.
And hopefully, the next time Carl annoys me, instead of getting angry, I will let it serve as a trigger to thank God for my four legged friend. The little dog who helps me see God’s unconditional love for me.
This post was originally posted in August of 2015 but I wanted to share it again because it illustrates one of my favorite memories of Carl and why I knew God was calling me to blog about him.