It was a crazy, emotional few days. If you follow me on Social Media, you know exactly what I am talking about. To say that the beginning of December was anything short of an emotional roller coaster would be an understatement. You see, it all started Thursday December 1st.
It was about 8:30 pm and as we do every night, my husband Luke and I let our two dogs out into the backyard so that they could take care of business as we were getting our little boy ready for bed. About 10 minutes later, Luke called for the two dogs to come back inside. Typically, the dogs come running through the yard. On Thursday night, there was an unfamiliar silence. Within seconds it became apparent that somehow, our dogs had opened the gate and let themselves out. Needless to say, it was going to be a LONG night.
For the next couple of hours, my husband and his friend Billy (our next door neighbor) searched the neighborhood and streets looking for Toby and Jack. By the time 11:00 pm rolled around it became apparent that our dogs were lost; they were nowhere to be found. So as the night continued to roll on, Luke continued to search and search. At about 12:30 am, Luke comes back into the house sobbing; our beloved Toby had been hit by a car and Luke came upon his body on the side of the road. It was a hard sight to see. Not only was Toby dead, but also Jack was nowhere to be found and Luke felt the need to continue searching.
You see, our two dogs are brothers; they came from the same litter and have never been separated. Knowing that Toby was now dead, it became very apparent to us that if Jack was still roaming around, he was probably scared and confused.
So as the night continued on, Luke and his sister Irene went out searching and calling for Jack. Nothing came of it. We were heartbroken.
On Friday and Saturday we continued doing everything we could to get the word out that Jack was missing and that we were desperately looking for him. We posted signs on the main road, made flyers, posted flyers, etc. Additionally, we had an amazing group of friends surrounding us and helping us out in anyway. Our neighbors provided dinner for us and helped search for our dogs, Luke’s sister helped search for Jack, watched Liam, and handed out flyers, and our friend Walter actually went and picked up Toby off of the street and buried him for us so that we would not have to see nor remember what he looked like in his last minutes of life. To say that we have amazing friends would be an understatement; God has blessed us beyond what we could ever hope for; friends who truly know what it means to be a friend. For this we will always be grateful.
During this entire ordeal, I remember praying earnestly to God through tears that I wanted nothing more than for Jack to be returned to us on Saturday; I just didn’t know how much longer I could take of not knowing where he was. Really, I begged and begged God to come through because not only did I desperately want Jack home, but also I wanted God to shine like never before. I wanted this to be a testimony to Him and His faithfulness.
As Saturday rolled around, we just continued to be heartbroken and we could not get the tears to stop; we were extremely sad and worried. By Saturday afternoon we knew that we had to get out of the house. We had to get our minds off of everything and honestly, we had done everything that we could do. The rest was up to God; we no longer had control; only He did.
So off we went to Downtown Disney to enjoy the afternoon with our little boy. After being there for about 30-minutes Luke received a call from someone who had seen the “Lost Dog” sign that we posted. She began to tell Luke that Jack had actually spent the day on her porch but that he was no longer there. She also shared with us that she didn’t call Animal Control because she knew that after 24 hours if an animal was not “claimed” they would put it to sleep. Needless to say, when we heard that there had been a Jack sighting, we got out of Disney as quick as we could so that we could head over to where she was to look for Jack. As we were driving we called our amazing friends who instantly jumped into their cars and headed over to the area to look for Jack. You see, we were still about 25-minutes away from getting there and the sun was setting fast; we wanted to try to find him with as much sunlight as possible.
As we were driving towards the area, we got a call from our friend and neighbor Christine telling us that Jack had been found! Through tears and excitement she proceeded to tell me that he was not in the neighborhood but rather, on our back porch.
It was later that we found out that prior to realizing that Jack was on our back porch, her little girl got down on her knees in the kitchen floor and prayed that God would bring Jack back to us. After praying, she then proceeded to go outside to look over the fence into our backyard. When she looked, she called to her mother and told her that there was a dog on our back porch. Not really knowing whether or not to believe her daughter, Christine came outside and looked over the fence and to her surprise, realized that indeed, Jack was there. It was then that she came flying over to our house, let herself in and welcomed Jack back home.
By the time we arrived at home, our house was filled with all of our friends who were celebrating the return of Jack. It was a party like no other! We not only thanked and praised God for His faithfulness, but we were beyond thrilled to welcome back one of our furry family members. God brought happiness out of sorrow.
During this emotional roller coaster, God shared with me some valuable lessons that I pray can be an encouragement to you:
1. In all things pray-I am convinced that no matter what you are going through in life, you can give it over to God and that He cares and listens. With everything going on in the world, a missing dog may not seem like a big deal, but the truth of the matter is, God longs to bless His children and loves nothing more than to see His children filled with joy and happiness. Just as a mother and father take delight in what brings a smile to the face of their child, our God is the same. I truly believe that when Luke and I cried and grieved over the death of Toby while also begging Him to bring Jack back home to us, He was moved because it was His children who were hurting. So today, let me encourage you-nothing is ever too small or unimportant to God. He loves you and cares for you and longs to bring you joy like no other.
2. There came a point where Luke and I realized that we were not in control, there was nothing more that we could do to bring Jack back home to us. Ultimately, it was in God’s hands. We did what we could and the rest we had to leave it up to God. When we realized this and actually left the house and community for a while, it was then that God showed His faithfulness and brought Jack home to us. You see, Jack was in a completely different neighborhood that was over the hill from ours. It was a decent distance, but yet, miraculously, he found his way home. This continues to astonish us that he was able to navigate his way around and find our street and home amongst all the others. Friends, God was in control and when we finally gave it to Him to handle, it was then that he shone through. So today, what in your life do you need to leave in the hands of God? Where do you need to let go of control and allow God to just shine through? The truth of the matter is that God wants control; you were never meant to carry that burden. He wants to carry it for you, so why not just give it over to him?
3. During this entire ordeal I was reminded of why God never intended nor wants us to be alone; we were created for community. What our friends did for us during this 48-hour time period is beyond my understanding. They touched us in ways that they will never full understand. They lifted our spirits, gave us hope, and blessed us beyond measure. Today, if you find yourself longing for friendship, can I just encourage you to get out there and really seek out a community of people that you can bless? I know that in the hustle and bustle of life, things just get busy. And at times we find ourselves longing for friendship or even just longing to know that there are people out there that you can connect with, don’t wait for them to approach you. Seek people out. Think of ways to bless others. Invite someone over for coffee, dinner, etc. Believe me when I say, when you begin making the effort to reach out to others, you will soon find yourself within a community of friends that love and care for you.
4. Lastly, when we came home and saw Jack we were overjoyed…nothing compared to seeing him back home with us. As I thought about this, I couldn’t help but think that this is what God must feel like when we decide to come back home to Him. As a father and mother long to be close to their children, He too longs for us to be close to Him. And if you have found yourself somewhat far from Him, nothing would bring Him greater joy than to see you return home to Him. Ultimately, this is what would bring Him joy like nothing else.
All in all, our emotions were all over the place. But most importantly, God taught me so many things that I will forever hold close to my heart. And most importantly, I was once again reminded of just how faithful He is when we allow ourselves to call upon His name and give Him control over every circumstance in our life. God is still in the business of performing miracles!
I pray that you too would come to experience just how wonderful He truly is!
Believing in YOU!
Jen
