by: Cris Corzine-McCloskey
Gather ‘round and pull up a chair. I want to introduce you to Molly, the rescue dog. Molly is a nine pound Shitzu and Pekingese mix, which makes her a fancy little mutt. But to me she is priceless and one of the wonders of the world.
The first time I saw Molly was at one of our local rescue shelters, and she was a timid, scarecrow of a dog. She was super thin, her ribs showed and she was scared of anyone getting too close. Yet she would follow the staff around with this pitiful look on her face. She was longing for love but too afraid to accept it. It was obvious that whatever happened to that little dog prior to coming to the shelter had been horrific. I took one look at her and it felt like someone had squeezed my heart with their hand. I was moved with compassion. I had to have her because I wanted to love her to wholeness. After a quick set of paperwork and a trip to the vet, I brought home my prize.
It saddens me to this day to describe what those first months were like with Molly. It did not take long to ascertain that my assessment at the shelter was correct, Molly had been abused. She also had a horrible case of PTSD as a result, complete with triggers and panic attacks. The word pitiful does not suffice. It broke my heart, and I was determined to win her trust. I would lay on the floor and let her come close and coax her with promises of love. I would hand feed her delicious doggy treats while I repeated her new name “Molly” over and over, so she would know if she heard that name, good things would happen. Slowly, ever so slowly, Molly came to life, and the results were astonishing.
As Molly learned to trust me she began to love me in a way that borders on fanatical. She looks at me like I am her savior, and she is devoted to me in a way that has made me even more tender towards her. Does she do everything right? Absolutely not. Molly has never quite nailed the concept of potty training, which I suspect is what got her in so much trouble with her previous abusive owner. However, she no longer panics when she makes a mess, and she now comes and tells me after the fact, which I consider much closer to the goal. I determined at the outset of getting Molly that there would never be harsh discipline, she would not be able to handle it. Instead, only positive reinforcement. She has excelled under this, and honestly I am much more excited about how much she loves and trusts me than I am worried about an occasional mess on the floor.
So, how does all of this relate to God’s grace? Well, for starters I figured out a long time ago that Molly and I have a lot in common. I found her at the pound, Jesus found me in jail. We were both half wild, had been abused and were scared to death of people, but desperately wanted to be loved. I rescued Molly because I wanted to give her that love. God rescued me because He delighted in me (Psalm 18:19) and He was determined to love me to wholeness. Ephesians 1:4 in the Message translation says “Long before He laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.” Just like I wanted to love Molly to wholeness, God wanted to heal my wounds with his overwhelming unconditional love.
I would coax Molly with treats, repeating her new name so she would learn to respond to it. In turn, 2 Cor 5:21 tells us that “He who knew no sin became sin that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.” That’s the new name that God has coaxed me out with blessings and called me over and over…Righteous Daughter. You have to admit, that has a ring to it! Just as I was never in a hurry to force Molly to love me, and her love for me has been a result of my loving her first, the bible tells us that we love God because He first loved us…and He is so patient with this. He knows our absolute love, devotion and trust is worth the wait, just as mine has been with Molly.
And do I get everything right? Absolutely not. Yet, like Molly, I no longer cringe in shame when I make mistakes, because I know He loves me and will never hurt me or rub my nose in it. Molly is under a permanent covering of grace, and all her past, present, and future sins are forgiven…as are mine with God because of Christ’s sacrifice.
It dawned on me one day as I was cleaning up one of Molly’s messes that I should never, ever, think that I had the capacity to give that dog more love and mercy and forgiveness and patience than God was giving me. After all, as wonderful as she is, at the end of the day she is still just a dog. I am God’s child, and if I can love a dog like that, how much more can He love me? I cannot even begin to fathom the depth and unfailing nature of that love, but I have to admit, He has me hooked, just like Molly is hooked on me.
By the way, if you ever want to get a peek at the pint size inspiration of this story, you can find her at Caring Counseling Ministries in my office, probably taking a nap. I now bring her to work with me, and she is our agency’s therapy dog. I had hopes that she would sit with people and comfort them, but she is way more likely to lay in her dog bed with all four paws up in the air and snore. Considering her absolute terror of people previous to her healing, I consider her ability to be so at ease with strangers a testament to the transformative power of love. I guess she’s not much of a therapy dog, but I don’t care. Truth be told, I bring her in because she delights me so much I don’t want to be without her. If you are thinking I am making another parallel about how God just likes having us around for no other reason than it gives Him pleasure, you would be correct! He’s just soft on us like that. Oh the joy of the life of a dog!
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