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Tag: Pets

Christians Say the Darnedest Things: A Dog Story That Will Leave You Speechless and Angry

cavalier-king-charles-spanielFor most of our married life, Jenell and I [Darren Wilson] haven’t had a ton of money, so anytime we were able to bring a dog into our lives, we typically had to go the cheapest route. Humane societies. We liked the idea of saving an animal, and neither of us were interested in training a puppy, so the local pound was it. The only problem, at least in our case, was that every dog we ever got from the pound was in some way “broken.”

Behavior issues up the wazoo, peeing issues, mental issues, you name it, we had it. My wife is fond of saying that I am very good at loving a dog; I’m just very lousy at taking care of a dog. So after years of having to give up dogs we had become attached to, or having to put down dogs who were sick before their time, Jenell finally came to me and said she had had enough. It was too painful. We stunk at taking care of dogs, and she just couldn’t do it anymore.

The only problem with this was the fact that I was still a dog person. I’ve never known life without them. And I really wanted a dog, but a good dog. Unfortunately, my wife was resolute. No way. Never again. And then the ultimate stonewall: “God Himself would have to tell me to get a dog before I’d get another one.”

Years went by, and occasionally I’d bring it up, but it was always a lost cause. No way was she going to budge. So I did the only thing I knew to do: I prayed.

After a few months, my wife and some friends went on a mission trip, and along the way they stayed with a friend of mine who was very prophetic. All week long the others received words from the Lord, but my wife, who has become very healthy and doesn’t chase such things, was content to just abide in Christ. Of course she’d like a prophetic word, but she didn’t need one.

As they were all arriving at the airport to come home, my friend pulled Jenell aside and told her he had a word from the Lord for her. A smile came across her face, a silent thank-you to God for blessing her. Then, He hit her with a sledgehammer.

“Jenell, the Lord said it’s time to get a dog. Darren needs a dog. Your kids need a dog. And He has already picked the perfect one out for you. In fact, this dog will heal your heart.”

Her response was far from elation. “Did Darren put you up to this?”

He assured her he never talked to me, and Jenell contacted me to reluctantly tell me to start researching dogs.

I couldn’t believe it. God, You are amazing. But this time I was determined to do this right. So I researched actual breeders and dog breeds until I found what seemed the perfect dog breed for me: a king cavalier spaniel. The only problem I had was that we only had about $500 we could put toward this mutt, and the little research I was doing showed that purebreds were decidedly more than that, and then you had another $350 in shipping costs. But I believed in the God of the impossible now, so I jumped in with faith.

The first breeder I came across had some awesome dogs, but, man, were they expensive. So I decided to just contact them anyway and ask if they had any old dogs they just wanted to get rid of. It was the best I could hope for. All I told them was that I was a filmmaker looking for a dog. I didn’t mention that what I really wanted was a black and tan male, around 2 years old. And I didn’t mention that I only had $500.

The next morning I awoke to an email from the breeder. The first line shocked me.

“Dear Darren, first of all, we want you to know that we are huge fans of Finger of God.”

She then went on to say that they pray about every dog they place, and when she was praying the night before, the Lord highlighted one of her dogs in particular. His parents were both champion show dogs, and he was a male, 2 years old, with black and tan coloring. She then said that while she was praying God told her something strange. Usually they tithe on every dog they sell, and this particular dog was $1500. But God told her to keep the tithe and give Him the rest, so she asked if I’d be willing to take the dog for $150, plus $350 for shipping, for a total of $500?

I was speechless.

And that’s how Moses came into my life. He was a supernatural gift from God, and he truly did heal my wife’s heart…

Darren Wilson, Charisma, How Losing My Dog Brought Me Closer to God, October, 25, 2016

Note

Wilson’s God-given dog later ran away. Wilson “tried” to find the dog, eventually giving up. I suppose he thought, the Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away, right?

Bruce Gerencser