Well...this is kind of one of those "pain in the rear" subjects....literally.
Wednesday evening, I went to a new client's house to start a dogsitting contract. The dogs were a Senior miniature Schnauzer, and a larger Standard Schnauzer. Right after I got in the back door and was setting my stuff on the island counter, I got a chomp right on the right cheek, and I don't mean my face! Talk about surprise!
Luckily it wasn't a grab and hold latch, just a grab and release nip. But IT HURT!
I proceeded to handle the situation in the best manner I knew to do with all the information I have read, learned, and had experience with. Needless to say, because the dog got the bite in, and she knew it, I thought it wise to turn the situation over to another sitter to try it, and not return.
That is only the second dog that has ever gotten a hold of me, so I am always a little shocked, humbled, and maybe even humiliated. :-) It kind of sets you back a little bit and you have to deal with it immediately in your mind, if it is what you do as a job.
As I entered into a new job the very next evening with unfamiliar dogs, I could feel the "unsettled feeling" of approaching the work. Four dogs this time, and all barking insanely in a pen. (just pack style - normal) But the unease was there, and I didn't like it. Animals can also sense this in a human to a degree, so one always has to exude confidence and the alpha role from the beginning.
I know when you fall, you always need to get right back up in the saddle and tackle your fears. I had done so, walking into a new sitting situation, and felt the discomfort that the saddle just might could turn sideways on me and leave me riding off-kilter. (I know this from when my sister and I had a horse in high school days.)
It made me think of how if there had been someone else there with me during the bite episode, and in the following new situation, how much more comfortable I would have been. It just helps to have a "helper, partner, comforter, buddy"....does it not??
This is true in life. We all need someone we trust. Someone who is there for us when the going gets tough, and the work gets downright stressful and dirty. That is what good friends are for. That is why every Marine always has a "buddy" with him to watch his back. That is why God made marriage.
That is why God gave us the Holy Spirit! He knew. We would have extremely hard days in this walk where we would need that helper to give us support, to calm us down, to cheer us on, to provide the shoulder to cry on. He knew.
So be thankful for that friend who is always there on the other end of the phone to let you vent. Be grateful for that God-assigned spouse who is your "best of all best friends" sticking with you through the for better-for worst's of life. Be grateful for the buddy you may have who is watching out for you at work, in the neighborhood, on the battlefield, on the road, in the dorm, at home....
And thank God that He is always with us, having promised never to leave us, words of security, peace, and confidence that He is with us to the end of the Age.
That sets the saddle straight. That lets me know I will not fall off. I have Someone Who is with me. He is holding me in the palm of His hand. I can give away my fears. He will take them. I can free-fall with good faith into the confidence He assures me He will give.
That is a good thought for this Friday. A Good Friday thought. I like that. "Good Friday" is really what my life rests on.
Christ died on the cross for me that day, and then rose again 3 days later. I am secure forever because of that.
God is good ...All the time....God is good.
Courage!
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