The Parable of the Annoying Dog??

I'm sitting here unable to concentrate on my original post because for the last 15 minutes while I made The Husband's lunch for tomorrow and did dishes all I could hear was this high pitched whine coming from The Dog. Why? Only she knows. I had her gated in the bedroom with her beloved Master and she just laid on the other side of the gate with a subtle yet shrill (imagine the whistle that the dolphin trainers use at Sea World) whine to come to the other side. To dig through the trash can? Chase the cat? Eat a sock? Clack her nails on the laminate floor back and forth and back and forth.....arghhhhhhh.....who knows why she wants to be on my side of the gate?

It was then I pondered. God, what are you trying to teach me with this dog?? I know she is here for a purpose because there are so many times I could have killed her with my bare hands but I felt angels on either side of me holding me back. This is a dysfunctional dog who I believe has some sort of mental illness that we most likely caused by letting #3 drag her around everywhere we went under her doggie armpits when she weighed a measly 8 pounds. Or, the time a friend of ours accidentally dropped her. On her head.

The Dog does have a few redeeming qualities. She is smart. However, that is a blessing and a curse. For example, we trained her to ring a bell on our back door when she needs to go out. She is very good at it. So good, in fact, she rings it whenever she basically wants ANYthing. She rings it when she wants to eat.....when she wants to go out and chase things that run under our deck. She even rings it just to drive me crazy because when I show up to open the door for her she walks away. It's like the rich lady in those old movies ringing her bell for Jeeves the butler to fetch her a glass of lemonade. In fact, she just rang it now to prove my point.

Her only other serious redeeming quality is that the little beast has somehow wormed her way into The Husband's heart and I believe she would die if she had to live without him. Their mutual adoration makes up for all the disgusting eye goobers she rubs on me and her sock eating fetish.

So, God is using this dog to train me. I know it. Perhaps, not in the obvious loving the unlovable kind of way....but maybe something I'll learn with time and commitment. She is not always nice to me, in fact she growls at me anywhere from 1-63 times a day. It's like the battle of the wills when I force her to give me a shoe or sock back. She plays all tough until she realizes I'm getting the shock collar and I'm not afraid to use it. I've prayed "Oh God, please don't let this "relationship" be a parable of me and You because I'd hate to think I annoy You this much!!".

Now that I've pretty much forgotten what I set out to post today, I'm going to call it a night because my house is finally quiet. No dolphin whistles, toenails clacking or bells ringing.

Thank you, Jesus.