“I am the light of the world, follow me!" ~ John
8:12
Grover missed his cardboard
‘castle.’ As he dreamt wishfully of a
roaring fireplace and his jumbo chew toy, he wondered if he would ever see his
family again. He was alone now; cold,
afraid and suffering unbearable pain.
Just this morning, he was the happiest pup on the
planet. He should have listed to the sage
advice of his owner and best friend Kenny.
Definitely a full-on mischief maker, Grover left the yard to “run with
the big dogs.”
Train tracks near the river caught their attention. But the insanely curious pooch didn’t notice
an approaching train and tried crossing just as the lights began to flash. Bad idea!
Paralyzed by fear, Grover cowered between the rails.
His pals waited patiently until the train passed. When the puppy was nowhere to be seen, they
slowly walked away.
Grover had no idea what’d just happened. He was afraid to move; so he lay still ‘til
the sun rose again the next morning. A
cacophony of unfamiliar smells filled his nostrils.
Then he felt it. An
excruciating pain rocketed though his lower body. It felt as if his hind legs had been
crushed. The pain was intolerable. He fell back down, hoping someone might find
him, and save him, and love him once again.
He seemed invisible – maybe he had died.
Then a Voice deep within him spoke up. “Grover, you’ve got to save yourself!”
But his hind legs, matted with blood, hurt like crazy. He was hungry too . . . and sad!
“You can do it Grover!
Follow me, I am the light of the world!” offered a sympathetic Voice.
He rose up on two front paws and looked around for someone;
anyone.
“Pull yourself forward, one step at a time. I have faith in in you,” the Voice
encouraged.
And so he did, dragging his shattered limbs behind him – 6
inches, then one meter, eventually a half block. Suddenly from what seemed like out of
nowhere, two arms scooped him up. Even
though he ached with pain, Grover had never been handled so gently; so
lovingly. He nuzzled his warm nose into
the crook of the massive arms that cradled him, and collapsed into nothingness.
He woke in front of a familiar fire, amid the comfort of his
favorite blanket; his chew toy nearby.
No one would ever know the real story of how he returned
home. Had a kind stranger carried
him? Or had had crawled on two paws over
a mile in the icy cold by himself? There
was no blood on the porch; no tracks of any kind in the snow. Once
again the happiest pup on the planet and he knew who to thank - even though His
Lord's face was never revealed.
Heavenly Father, brighten us from within. Help us show others the way with a generosity
which spills into darkest corners. Let
our faith be stronger than our fear and instill in us a love which glows amidst
distrust. Amen
