We have a new member in our family. His name is Rudy and he carries a lot of influence in our household with his five pounds of fur and energy. His dark brown eyes and button nose frames his adorable face.

We joke to people we knew we wouldn’t be able to have children together, so we adopted Rudy!

Rudy, ten weeks old

When I told my son we were getting a new puppy, he asked, “Why would you want to do that?” Meaning, would he be worth the trouble. It’s true, he is more trouble than if we didn’t have him, but we think he’s worth it.

Just as with a new baby. We all are adjusting. We have to remember if Rudy has been outside to do his “business.”  Has he enough water, food? Where is Rudy now? Is he chewing on something? Into some mischief? It’s guaranteed he will wake up earlier than we want to.  In our sleepy state, we take turns ministering to him.

It sounds like a lot of trouble and sometimes it is, but we are growing to love Rudy a lot!

I remember CS Lewis’ poem about opening oneself to love. We used it in our wedding program seven years ago:

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.
― C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

Last night, Rudy woke up at midnight whimpering. We tried to ignore him because normally, he will go back to sleep. This time, he didn’t stop. Jim got up, murmuring to Rudy, telling him it would be ok. He took him outside (I’m so glad it is summer!), and put Rudy back into his kennel, and crawled into bed. “He was thirsty,” he said. I thought about it and realized why he was. We’d given the little guy with his puppy-sized tummy too many puppy treats.

We do that to ourselves, too. I remember hearing often from my mother, “Everything inmoderation.” I think we can apply that maxim in most everything we do.

I have to share some earlier photos of our “baby”.

I must admit, I am in love with this toy-sized energetic fluff of a pup and it gives me just a tiny glimpse of the love God has for me and you.

This morning I read from one of Jesus’ disciples:

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that me might have eternal life through him. This is real love–not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins (I John 4: 9-10 NLT).

Thank you, God, for loving me and giving me glimpses of your pleasure in creation. I am awed. Thank you for your real love and sacrifice so I can spend eternity with you!

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