The other day I was visiting one of my very favorite people in the world. She is not famous or rich, or anything that the rest of the world would consider special. She is, by her own telling, a rather feisty and strong willed woman with an ornery streak. So, what is it about this woman that I love so much? Well, to begin with, her greatest talent and spiritual gift is the gift of hugging...that's right, hugging! From the time I first met her greeting people at the door of a local church she has hugged me every single time I've seen her, without fail. Lately, this has been 1 to 2 times a week. You see, she is dying, and with each passing day I see more and more of her body wither away, and more and more of her spiritual self visible. Even when she is weak and can barely hold her head up, she insists on a hug when I come in. The hugs seem to get a bit longer lately, and each time, we both seem to get a bit choked up. God communicates something so deeply to me each time I am hugged by this beautiful woman. He speaks vividly to me through her divine love language: simplicity and humility.
During my visit on this particular day, she shared something with me, that perhaps on another day would not have meant a whole lot to me. But, on this day, the lesson of Curley deeply impacted me. Yes, I said Curley. Who is Curley? Well, Curley is her 10 year old white Poodle who does not often leave her side. He goes out exploring on occasion, but ultimately, he ends up back at her side after only a short time. She began to share with me something about her Curley that she loved. Each night, as she is tucked into her hospital bed, with all her comfy quilts and blankets piled up on her, Curley jumps up on the bed and lies down with her. At the beginning of this process, my sweet friend is in the middle of the bed, and Curley is on her right side nudged up against her tightly. After a while, she gets a bit warm with this perfectly groomed pile of white fur attached to her like an appendage. So, she shifts a bit and pulls away from the now snoring Curley. A moment later, the perfectly manicured pooch is pressed against her again like he's bungee corded to her hip. This happens several more times throughout the sleeping experience, and each time Curley is back against her in a matter of seconds. By this time she is on the very edge of the bed, against the rail, and Curley is the new reigning champion of the "middle of the bed."
My friend told me this trying to act a bit annoyed, and yet her love for Curley could not be hidden through her little smiles. I'm not sure she understood the significance of what she was telling me as God spoke a simple truth to me through her light-hearted story. You see, I believe Curley is a great picture of how we are to be in our relationship with our Heavenly Father. No, not perfectly manicured and trimmed with a nice bow in our hair. Rather, no matter what kind of movement we find from our Father, our first response and greatest desire should be to immediately draw closer to Him. Anytime we discover a bit of space between us and Jesus, it should be our sole purpose to immediately find Him and bump up against Him! I have heard from several people, including a veterinarian, that small dogs push up against you because it helps them feel safe and secure. What a lesson for us! Like my happy little friend Curley, we should find our peace and security in Christ and stay pushed up against Him at all times. Just like John, the beloved disciple, who leaned upon the Lord during the Last Supper, we too should lean back against Jesus and draw near. Scripture reminds us to "draw near to Him and He will draw near to us." (James 4:8)
So, can we learn a spiritual truth from a small white Poodle named Curley? I believe that our Heavenly Father is waiting to show us His truth in nearly every area of life...if we are willing to see!
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