Loving to the end

     "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Henceforth is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing." (2 Tim.4:6-7)
     Moses finished his race well.  All the way till the very end, he loved with all of his big heart.  I don't know if dogs will be heaven, but C.S. Lewis, Billy Graham, and Joni Eareckson Tada believe they will be--and that's good enough for me.  If ever a dog will be heaven, it will be sweet old, faithful and loving to the bitter end, Moses.  I like to think of him even now, finally running and swimming again without those arthritic old legs and failing heart.  And surely eating chocolate cake and filets to his heart's desire.
     But mostly, he'll be finding someone to love.  And that's what he'll do for eternity--love.
     Yesterday, as he lay dying, I read him verses from Daily Light.  I know, go ahead and laugh, but we always said he was a dog who loved the Lord!  He would always sit at my feet when I was having quiet time or rest in the sun in the dining room as I worked on Bible study lectures.  And think of his name, for goodness sake.
     Well, back to the Daily Light.  Of course, the reading for July 28th--the day of Moses' homecoming--was all about love.  The first verse was "Walk in love." (Eph.4:2)  Moses--check--you did that everyday of your life, from our first walk of the morning on the greenway till you closed your eyes at night on your bed under the kitchen table.
     I read out loud all the verses about love, like  "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you,  that you also love one another." (John13:34)  Remember when we studied that in John this year, Moses?  Or "Love covers all sins" (Prov.10:12)  Moses--like when you ate the chocolate cake resting on the counter for Easter lunch--but now that really doesn't seem like much of a sin.  Or "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." (Eph.4:32)  O Moses, you had this one down pat!  You always forgave immediately, whether it was someone accidentally stepping on your tail or forgetting to let you back in the house or fussing at you for something or other.  Moses didn't keep short accounts.  Moses kept NO accounts.  He forgave instantaneously.  O help me, Father, to learn from my sweet dog.
     The last Daily Light reading was "My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth." (I John 3:18)  Through tears, I told Moses that's what he'd done all his life--loving without one word spoken.  Loving by his presence.  He truly spelled love as action--struggling to get up on his arthritic legs whenever one of the children came home, because he wanted to greet them and show them his love.  Loving by tail wagging for anyone, and I mean anyone, who came into the room--as if to say, "You are so welcome here!  I'm so so glad you've come!"  Loving by playing hide-and-seek with my husband (I'm not kidding!  He loved it!)  Loving by being so excited to see you when you came back home--even if you'd just been gone for 10 minutes to the grocery store.  Loving, loving, loving all the way to the end.
     This picture at the top was taken yesterday morning after we woke up the kids to tell them Moses was failing fast.  Even then he lifted up his big head to their tear stained faces to greet them and tell them wordlessly that he loved them...all the way to the end. O Father, help us to love.  Give us more love for one another.  Help us to forgive more quickly and to love more unconditionally.
     Moses had the sweetest parting.  And God is sovereign--even in the homecoming of a sweet old dog.  My husband, through tears, began looking on the internet for someone who might come to your home to put your dog to sleep.  We couldn't bear the thought of taking him somewhere--just too tender and raw and sad to think of that.  And he found the name of Jennifer Frye.  Can I just tell you again, God is sovereign?  We didn't know Jennifer at all.  Just found her name "randomly" on the internet, but Richard had prayed and prayed while he was looking,  and I remember hearing once, "If you don't pray, 'coincidences' won't happen."  There are no coincidences in the life of a believer, only "God-incidences."
     So Jennifer arrived early yesterday afternoon.  It was the moment we wanted to arrive as Moses was really suffering, but also the moment we terribly dreaded as we wanted him to stay with us.  Jennifer Frye was God's ministering angel to us.  Turns out she is a dear friend of one of our great friends from church--Lisa Todd--who arranged a website and all the meals, etc. for Tessa and Janie after the accident.  Jennifer walked in--so sweet, so gentle, so kind, so full of the Savior's love--and told us she knew exactly who we were.  She had prayed for Janie from day 1 and had read the blog and knew who Moses was.  She assumed someone had referred her to us. Nope--no one but the Almighty.  That's how God works.
     Jennifer prayed with us, spoke so lovingly to Moses and then gently put him to sleep.  O thank You, Father, for always providing for us, even when we can't see it through our pain or preoccupation.  Thank You for Jennifer Frye and her sweet ministry to grieving pet owners.  Thank You for using the body of Christ in so many different arenas of life.
    And Moses quietly, peacefully went on home.  We cried hard and loved him to the end...just as he had loved us to the end.  And early this morning, I walked into our kitchen for the first time in 8 years and didn't hear that heavy "Thump thump thump" of his tail under the table as he welcomed me to his world for a new day to love and be loved.  Tears came again.
     But somehow, I think I can hear that thumping all the way from heaven.  Keep on loving, Moses.
     Thank you, sweet Mo, for finishing your race and keeping the faith all the way to the end.  We will never ever forget you.  And as we love one another--more unconditionally and more completely--we will think of you and smile.  Maybe not yet--still too many tears.  But someday soon.  Because we know that's what you're doing.
     I know that there's no Biblical theology that says dogs will be heaven, but I hope that our Heavenly Father who gives us such priceless gifts in this, our earthly home, will perhaps give them to us to enjoy forever in our heavenly home.
     To God be the glory.