Lessons I’ve Learned From My Dog
By Coach Cindy Zeyak
Seven years ago, my life changed. We added a dog to our family. The idea of getting a dog was not mine. However, after they all wore me down, I eventually gave in, and when we went to pick her out, I felt the excitement was contagious.
I wasn’t ever much of a dog person. My family always had outside dogs when I was growing up, so we never got that close to them. Little did I know just how much I would grow to love this golden doodle. Zoe has such a sweet personality and wants to please as much as possible, except when a cat decides to waltz through our yard, taunting her with such confidence. Then she’ll bust through that invisible fence in hopes that maybe this once, she will catch it. Never such luck.
I never knew how much comfort a dog could bring. A couple of years ago, I went through a very disillusioning season in worship ministry. And in church in general. I questioned my existence and if I had anything left to give. I remember sitting in my recliner weeping as I would cry out to the Lord for some sign, for some ray of hope. As soon as Zoe would hear me crying she would come right over to my side and just sit with me. Sometimes laying her head on my lap. She obviously couldn’t say the perfect words, but she brought comfort by just sitting with me.
After much counsel and prayer and time (and lots of love and conversations with my husband!), I came through that dark season with renewed hope and excitement for the future. And now I’m going through another sad season, watching my elderly mother age and her sometimes referring to me as her sister. I watch my father loving her dearly but getting weary from the daily challenges of caring for her.
Life isn’t the same.
The other day, I started crying in my recliner, thinking about how incredibly special my mom has been to me (and countless others) and how I will miss her one day, and once again, Zoe came right over to me as soon as she heard me cry. She sat right next to me and brought the comfort I needed. She tried licking my tears but I’m not at that point in the relationship yet. lol.
Am I that kind of a comfort to others going through challenging seasons? Or am I like Job’s friends who judged him for the ways he questioned God in the midst of a whole heck of a lot of hell on earth? Am I looking for ways to bless others when they’re down and out just by sitting with them and wiping their tears? We are the church, yet too often, we are quick to judge instead of hearing them out and providing a safe place to be honest and real. We can tend to judge because we’ve never been through what they’ve been through. But can we all take a lesson from Zoe and just “be” with each other?
I love my dog and learn so much from her, but one thing I will never do is sniff your butt. Just in case you were worried.
-Cindy Zeyak
(purchase our book, "Worship Fertilizer: (the first hundred)" HERE)
Lessons I’ve Learned From My Dog (Nº 406)
