Momma Dog in My Box

She stood beside the road, eyes focused straight ahead. Then came a tentative step onto the pavement, but she moved backwards as a car approached. She tried again to get to the opposite lane of the road--trying to reach a lifeless puppy. The momma dog tried to reach her fallen baby, but car after car prevented her attempts. I burst into tears because I saw myself in that four-legged mother.

I was headed to my daughter's house when I witnessed the momma dog's rescue efforts. On the return trip, she was nowhere in sight, but her little puppy remained in the roadway--alone.

The connection to this mother dog bears explaining. I, too, have a wounded and injured "puppy"--my son, Joshua. Truth be told, I have several wounded pups because Josh's addiction has affected my two daughters, daughter-in-law, and son-in-law. A glaring difference is that my pups are not left alone in their pain and suffering.

Reflecting on the momma dog's actions made me realize that I step onto the roadway trying to save my son, but the cars of life knock me out of the way, and I can't get to him. I try desperately to fix him, to kiss away the boo-boos that are self-inflicted, but I can't solve the problems. The realization that perhaps it is not up to me to save him has begun to sink in. There is Someone much greater than me who can--His name is Jesus.

Unlike the mother dog who walked away from her fallen puppy, I will remain on the side of the road with anticipation and expectancy. I know God has a plan for Josh's life, a plan that will bring good and not harm. He is knocked down at the moment, but he will be redeemed and restored by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is not alone.

"Thank you father for loving us when we are at our worst. Thank you for your redeeming love, the everlasting kind of love that knows no end. Thank you for restoring and refreshing our spirits when they are tired and worn out from struggling against something beyond our understanding. Thank you for being able to do abundantly more than we could ever ask or think. Amen."