Tag Archives: Molly and me

MOLLY AND ME – PRESENCE

Christian Life, ,

Molly and I are aging! You can see it by the whitening of our hair, Molly on her muzzle and paws and me on my head. However, with aging comes new experiences of togetherness and closeness. We’ve been together for almost nine years. 

Molly loves my presence. She doesn’t fuss when I leave her for a while but her “welcome home” greeting is extravagant to the extreme, no matter how long or short my time away might be. Time has no significance for her. She measures her desire for my return by the level of her delight, expressed in squeals and wriggles. 

Sometimes, in the evening, when I am in the shower and she is resting on her bed in the lounge, I hear her call…not in words but in her special bark, “Where are you?” or, “Please fetch me,” if she is in the garden. I answer with reassuring calls of my own…”I’m in the shower, baby,” or “I’m coming!” if I’m inside. She stops barking, and is content to wait for me knowing that I’m nearby. 

She likes to feel my closeness at night by resting her head on my leg or lying against my body. No matter how hot the night, my warmth, my presence comforts her. To her, sleeping in her own bed is a sign of my displeasure to which she reacts by sulking! 

Molly submits to the many times she needs treatment for one or other ailment. Her periodic ear infections are a particular trial to both of us, for me because I must treat her ear with drops, and for Molly because she hates the long nozzle and the cold stuff I must squirt into her ears. We have finally reached a truce because she trusts me. 

Sometimes, before it’s time for a bath, I rub her tummy with hand cream or sprinkle baby powder of her to mask her doggy smell. She lies in my arms like a small baby and submits to Mama’s “whims”with silent resignation. 

All these actions and gestures are part of the “presence” that is so special to both of us, even those things I do for her good if not for her pleasure. 

In the Word, I read of my Lord’s assured presence, of even greater significance than my presence in Molly’s life.  

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

How often, in times of crisis, have I looked for reassurance in the amount of money I have rather than in my God. How foolish is that! 

There is something about God’s promise that has recently become more real to me than ever before. Having watched, on YouTube, some of the the many stories of ex-Muslims who, in their crisis time of need, have met Jesus in person, I have realised that He didn’t just “show up” when they called on Him. He was there, with them until they called, but He only revealed Himself in their realm when they called. 

This truth has changed the way I respond to His promise…

 “…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭20‬b NIV‬‬

I don’t need to ask Him to come when I call. He is already here, unseen, but with me, every moment, day or night. In fact, in the person of His Spirit, Jesus is in me! Get that! When Molly needs me, I must go to her. When I need Jesus, He is not even a heartbeat away. 

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.”…

How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭7‬-12, 17‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Not even sleep can separate me from His presence. Amazing as it seems, I’m always on His mind… and so are you. 

MOLLY AND ME – PATCH PARTNERS

Christian Life, ,

Patch partners…whats that?

“LifeWave” is a company formed that provides a patented treatment, using a unique form of phototherapy, that is able to reverse some of the processes of aging. Through the use of patches stuck onto the skin, the body’s own light waves are stimulated to reactivate the stem cells that heal worn-out or diseased cells in the body.

A few months ago, my little “doxie” has an episode of back pain, common to her breed, that left her back legs too weak to hold her up. At the same time, in God’s amazing way of aligning prayer and answer, I learnt about and bought into the LifeWave way of treating pain.

Desperate to help my little dog, I put a patch on Molly’s back the morning after I received my order of patches. By that evening, Molly was was walking and, within two days, she was running!

I decided to continue the treatment by patching us both with the “flagship” patches, the patches I call, “the one-size-fits-all” treatment that restores function to cells and organs ravaged by age.

Since then, I have patched Molly and me daily with little white discs no bigger than a 20c piece but packed with miracle-working crystals that are slowly rebuilding our bodies.

That’s the reason we are patch-partners!

Together, we are beginning to regain our physical functions, slowly but surely because we have both moved into the “sell-by-date” category. I can see and feel the effects of the healing process. Joints that were stiff and painful are becoming functional again. Skin lesions, the result of aging, are healing. In the months to come, I anticipate, on the experience of others, that internal organs will function efficiently again and the use of expensive medication that keeps me alive will be redundant!

So, Molly and I are being rejuvenated, not so that we will live forever in these mortal bodies but that we will enjoy a quality of life we didn’t think possible until the end of our days.

What is the lesson for me in this new chapter of our lives? Molly is only an animal but a very special little one to me. I saw, in His perfect timing, God’s Iove for a small creature in pain.

In the midst of a world populated by cruel people, the evidence of which is everywhere, there is blessing for those who care for God’s earth and for God’s creatures.

Genesis 1:28 NLT
[28] “Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”

Conservation is built into God’s mandate to humanity to manage the earth.

Proverbs 12:10 NLT
[10] “The godly care for their animals, but the wicked are always cruel.”

God’s heart can be clearly seen in our attitude to those who are weaker than ourselves. God is against those who exploit weakness, be it human or animal.

Proverbs 22:22-23 NLT
[22] “Don’t rob the poor just because you can, or exploit the needy in court. [23] For the Lord is their defender. He will ruin anyone who ruins them.”

The Father has given us the opportunity to learn real kindness and compassion by the way we care for our animals. They can never repay us for what we do to or for them. Like little children, they lean on us for kindness and care.

How grateful I am to the Lord for the little companion who has shared my life for more than eight years. He has fashioned in me a tender heart and taught me to love in a way I could never have learned had He not provided her to be my teacher. I’m happy and grateful to be “patch partners” with her as God fulfills His promise to renew our youth like the eagles. Who knows, we might both live to be the equivalent of 120 years like Moses.

Deuteronomy 34:7 NLT
[7] “Moses was 120 years old when he died, yet his eyesight was clear, and he was as strong as ever.”

Moses may not have had patches but he had God. Molly and I have patches because of God!

MOLLY AND ME – PSYCHOLOGY

Christian Life, ,

As we grow older, I am learning that Molly is a walking book on “dog psychology”, written in dog language! The more we live together, the less I understand her.

I recently had Covid, again, which pushed me into bouts of coughing so violent that I thought I would surely burst something. Whether Molly thought I was “barking” at her or not, I don’t know, but she distanced herself from me, mostly tail down, and became almost a recluse. In response to this “threat” she refused to eat, drink, even go to the toilet unless it was desperately urgent. Her usual requests for me to pick her up and put her on my chair with me faded away. She spent most of her days isolating herself on her bed in the bedroom.

Now that I have recovered, few of her old habits and gestures of affection have returned. She sometimes behaves as though I am her enemy.

Now, Molly has many physical challenges, mostly the result of her allergy to grass…and wheat…and her sensitivity to some foods. I try to do the best I can for her, take her to the vet when necessary, (which she hates), carefully monitor what I feed her, (which means no more “human” treats), and treat her ailments with sprays, creams and lotions, which she mostly tolerates.

Medication, for Molly, is an intolerable no-no. I have to fool her in the most ingenious ways to get anything she needs to help her down her throat without force. Sometimes, she see through my schemes, digs in her heels and turns her head away in disdain.

We are now at the point where she prefers to sleep on my dirty laundry in the kitchen, waiting to go into the washing machine, than in my bed!

The sum total is, the more I try to help her overcome her problems, the more suspicious she becomes of me. She does not appreciate the value of “tough love”.

Now, I know that Molly’s reactions have to do with her “dog-ness” and her limited understanding of my ways. The best I can do is reassure her of my love and and try to show her that I love her in the ways I treat her.

Molly reminds me so much of myself and my old attitudes to God. How often in the past I have turned away, thinking that God has failed me instead of trusting His love, no matter what.

Jeremiah almost lost his prophetic calling because of the same attitude. Despite his faithfulness to deliver God’s Word to his people, and God’s promise to protect him, the people hated and persecuted him, and refused to believe his warnings. He suffered all kinds of torments at their hands.

Jeremiah complained to the Lord that His promise of protection was like a dried-up water source.

Jeremiah 15:15-18 NLT
[15] Then I said, “Lord, you know what’s happening to me. Please step in and help me. Punish my persecutors! Please give me time; don’t let me die young. It’s for your sake that I am suffering. [16] When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies. [17] I never joined the people in their merry feasts. I sat alone because your hand was on me. I was filled with indignation at their sins. [18] Why then does my suffering continue? Why is my wound so incurable? Your help seems as uncertain as a seasonal brook, like a spring that has gone dry.”

God responded with sobering words.

Jeremiah 15:19 NLT
[19] “This is how the Lord responds: “If you return to me, I will restore you so you can continue to serve me. If you speak good words rather than worthless ones, you will be my spokesman. You must influence them; do not let them influence you!”

In fact, God was saying to Jeremiah, “If you don’t take back your words, you can no longer be my prophet!”

That’s drastic!

How can I make Molly understand that I love her enough to treat her in ways that seem cruel to her? I must apply medication, like cold sprays or creams to her skin to relieve her itch; I must get medicine down her throat to treat her ailments; I must take her to the vet for help…all things she hates but are for her good. Somehow, I must keep her trust so that she understands that I love her, but how? She can’t see the bigger picture. She interprets my help as “harm”.

Despite my reassurances of love, she is suspicious of me and withdraws.

As a human, I have a greater capacity to understand God’s ways than Molly does mine. His Word constantly reminds and assures me that His love underpins all He does.
Nothing in heaven or on earth can ever separate me from that love.

Romans 8:35 NLT
[35] “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?”

It’s the love of God in all its length, breadth, depth, and height that prompts Him to persevere with His plan to recreate in me the image of His Son, despite the cost to me in pain and suffering. The rewards are out if this world!

I have no such lofty designs for Molly, but I do want her to have the happiest and most comfortable life possible while we are together. It’s up to her to respond to my love for her or not.

Why don’t I, then trust God’s love for me in all His dealings because He has already shown me the bigger picture in His Word?

I thinks it’s embedded deep in our old human nature not to trust God. It’s the old enmity just under the surface. Only His persistent grace and unfailing love will convince us and lead us to trust Him no matter what, even when He has to “treat” us with various remedies for our sin.

So, though I can’t change Molly’s reservations because she is canine and I am human, I can respond to God’s love because He made me in His image. The more I choose to trust Him despite appearances, the more real His love becomes to me.

What an honour to be a child of God!