Blind Hope: An Unwanted Dog & the Woman She Rescued (19 page)

What?
Mia was alive—very much alive!

Incredulous, Laurie looked down at her revived dog. Her thoughts collided with an instant logjam of questions.
How can this be?
Her bewilderment was interrupted by the familiar
thump, thump, thump
of Mia’s tail drumming against the carpet. It was the most welcome sound Laurie had ever heard. Mia peered up at her master as if to ask, “Hey, what’s for breakfast?”

Laurie slid out of bed and onto the floor beside her dog. She wrapped Mia in her arms and pulled her close. Laurie buried her face into her dog’s neck, crying and laughing at the same time.

“Thank you, God! Thank you, God! Thank you, God!” poured like a river out of her heart, flooding her soul with gratitude.

In that moment, Laurie’s mind reeled backward through
every random conversation concerning Mia. Conversations that discussed the dog that some thought wasn’t worth saving.

“She’s too messed up.”

“She has too many problems.”

“Just leave her. Let her go.”

The comments reverberated in her head, while the parallels to her own life resounded even louder. God hadn’t given up on her when she looked too far-gone to save. When others left her for dead because they believed she was too messed up, the Lord stayed with her. Unlike her accusers, he didn’t focus on all her failures. Neither did he ask her to clean up her life before coming to him. Instead, when she cried out his name, he came to her.

Without judgment, the Lord of all had crawled into her darkest closet, and instead of criticizing her, he cradled her. He focused not on what she lacked but on who she was. He didn’t consider her faults; he only saw her potential.

Even though she had committed many offenses, he spoke of none. Out of his mouth did not pour the expected reprimands. From his lips flowed only his truth. Of all the things he could have said in her most broken states, he didn’t. The only words that poured from his heart into hers were how perfectly he created her, how deeply he believed in her, and how completely he loved her.

Laurie embraced her dog in the midst of Mia’s eager good morning kisses and was blanketed by more truth.

Even though Laurie had felt all alone the night before, God had not abandoned her. During her bleakest and most abysmal moments, God had always been by her side. In all those places and times when she lay in the darkness, so broken and heavy-hearted that she felt she might be crushed by the blackness, God had been with her.

Deep in the caverns of her soul, in the times when her spirit felt closest to death, that was when she had heard it—the voice of Jesus.

And he was praying for her, speaking words of love over her. Words of peace. Words of truth. Words of comfort.

And then—hope beyond hope—she could hear something else, the most beautiful melody to ever fill her soul.

It was her Lord … singing … over
her
.

L
ike a pair of compass needles pointing north, our horses traversed the last of the trail leading back to the ranch. Grateful for their autopilot ability, I pulled up the corduroy collar of my coat and used it to wipe away my tears. I looked across at my friend and exhaled, releasing the remnants of all that I had been holding in while she told about that night with Mia. The reins were draped over Lightfoot’s neck while Laurie cupped her face with both hands.

I watched my friend. Without a doubt, her tears were shed from a recently forged gratitude deep within her heart. They flowed from a woman who was being refined. These were tears that fell from a new place, a new start of freedom. They were not a release of sorrow, but a sweet herald of joy.

Laurie looked up and smiled through her tears. “No one ever warned me that when you rescue a dog, the life you save just might be your own!”

She wiped her tears. “In crazy and surprising ways, God has a much greater purpose for this exceptional dog to be in my life. I have chosen to receive this extra time with my beloved girl as a windfall from him, a priceless gift. Because of our unexpected second chance, Mia and I will continue our journey together down this remarkable road. Apparently I still have more to learn from her … much more.”

“I do too,” I said. “I don’t think Mia’s done with me either!”

“Yes, it will take me a lifetime to apply the truths she has modeled. For years I tried to build my life on sand by attempting to gain value, acceptance, and love from places, activities, and people. But my blind dog led me to the Rock, Jesus Christ, and helped me to see that he is the only firm foundation.

“Even though I tried to satisfy my heart with everything but him, his love for me never faltered. No matter how far I ran away from him, he never strayed from me. Through all of my wandering and wayward times, he remained beside me and offered his love, hope, and peace. Yet his gifts became effective in
my life only when I finally stopped being my own master and started trusting him.”

Laurie told me about the many times when she and Mia went for walks, only to have Mia experience an insulin crash. At first this irritated Laurie because she couldn’t finish her jog or walk. But over time, Laurie’s focus shifted from herself to Mia. Her dog was sick and needed her help. From then on, whenever Mia showed signs of crashing, Laurie turned around without hesitation and headed toward their house or car. Nearly every time this happened, Mia would not be able to make it back on her own. That was when Laurie would kneel down, lift Mia to her chest, and carry her home.

“It was during one of those episodes that God reminded me how he has done the exact same thing for me. Of all the times in my life when I couldn’t go on in my own strength, my Lord was there to pick me up and carry me. I now understand that God will always carry me home.”

Laurie shifted in her saddle. “Mia taught me that blind hope doesn’t grope around in the darkness trying to find the way. Blind hope doesn’t depend on what it can feel. Blind hope depends on what it knows! Authentic hope depends on what is true. Hope that is real doesn’t come from what we can see—it comes from our heart, from the inside out. It comes from Christ alone.”

As if in agreement with Laurie’s words, a billowing gust of wind swirled around us. Strands of black hair pulled free of my riding helmet and whipped around my face. I looked at Laurie and nodded.

She tucked a few flaxen wisps of hair back under her helmet. “Through a forsaken, blind Aussie dog, God has shown me what genuine love and hope actually look like. Mia reflected my own impoverished state and then provided me with the best example, her own life, to reveal just how much my Master loves me.”

We rode the horses under the sturdy wooden beams of the main gate, up the hill, and into the common yard. Ele and Lightfoot, with fourteen years of trail riding under their saddles, turned like magnets toward the hitching rail. I eased my mare’s gear off and started toward the tack room. Laurie met me with a saddle balanced over her arm.

We walked shoulder to shoulder across the wood chip–covered yard. I couldn’t resist checking in with my friends, so I glanced over at the peaks in the Cascade Range. Bathed in glorious streams of sunlight, they beamed back, appearing to shimmer their majestic appreciation of all that had just happened in our lives. Not wishing to walk past the
moment, we stopped and received the alpine approval. Laurie turned to me, her face a glowing reflection of the radiance that lay before us.

“It’s true. For the rest of my life, I’ll be grateful for this fact: my dog was blind … but now I see.”

L
ike the rising of the sun, hope streams forth. Its radiance banishes dark despair in the hearts of those who receive it. Hope summons us to stretch, to step forward, to reach higher than ourselves. Hope transforms all who embrace it.

What a wonder it has been to watch this renewal of hope in the life of my friend. Day by day, choice by choice, Laurie has persevered to leave her anxiety and pride behind. In their place, peace and gentleness have grown. Where a vacant life of selfishness once echoed with a lonely voice, a life brimming with authentic love now reverberates with satisfaction.

Laurie would be the first to proclaim that she’s methodically working through her flaws and hasn’t attained anything admirable thus far. However, as her friend, I politely disagree.
It is not her words but her actions that reflect the changes inside her heart. Laurie is submitting her life to God. With his help, she is exchanging her despair for his joy, her fear for his peace, her anger for his love.

Her life is not perfect, but it is peaceful.

Out of this new abundance, Laurie pours out to others all that has been poured into her. She not only works at Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch, but since following God’s design revealed through a little blind dog, Laurie has been promoted to team leader. One of the roles of a team leader is to motivate others through encouragement and example. Laurie has volunteered to oversee and co-lead a group called SAGE (Seeking After God Entirely), which mentors teenage girls who visit the ranch.

Remember that marathon we trained for? Laurie and I ran it together stride for stride. We crossed the finish line with hands joined, our arms raised together in united triumph.

Mia, although slowing down, continues to place one steadfast paw in front of the other, moving forward with her master. The once unwanted dog in need of rescue remains loyal to Laurie, staying true to the task of loving the woman she rescued.

As for me, I still believe I’m the most blessed woman on earth. I’m privileged to live in proximity to kids, horses, volunteers, and my family of staff. I cry and laugh with them and cheer them on. In every way, I’m sharpened and filled by them.
As if that weren’t enough to fill my life with gratitude, every night I walk up the hill and fall into the arms of a husband who loves me.

Like other rescue stories on the ranch, Laurie and Mia’s reveals how something beautiful happens when we’re selfless in our actions. In our efforts to reach out and save another in need, our own heart is often released from selfishness, isolation, and defeat. In a world weakened by loneliness, great strengthening can happen if we choose to reach beyond our own difficulties and do something for the benefit of someone who is hurting.

Although our society is highly motivated to recycle things like paper and plastic, we are too often quick to discard damaged people and abandoned animals. With minimal effort, each of us can find the forsaken and rejected souls within our midst. Volunteering opportunities abound, whether it’s mentoring a child, supporting a rescue facility, or adopting an animal. Each of us can make a difference. We can
all stand in the gap for those around us who are struggling to find their way.

In a world weakened by loneliness, great strengthening can happen if we choose to reach beyond our own difficulties and do something for the benefit of someone who is hurting
.

The truth is, in the greater picture, we’re all struggling to find our way. Similar to Laurie’s dog, none of us can see what lies ahead. Like Mia, you might be bounding forward in defiance, circling in panic, or trotting along at your Master’s heels. Maybe you’re curled up in a dark place, too weak to crawl out of your devastation. Wherever you are in this life, whatever challenges you might face, however hopeless your situation appears, there is help.

Friend, we have a rescuer.… His name is Jesus.

No matter what our stage of life, we can always turn toward our Master. Because of Jesus and his great love, regardless of where our choices have led us, we can always choose to turn around. We can always choose him. And when we do, he will come … he will pick us up … and he will carry us home.

What can we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?
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I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away. Whether we are high above
the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.… “Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
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