THE YELLOW DOG
Stacey rushed the children out of the house and into the van for the 30 minute trip to school. It was convenient that Stacey worked as a teacher at the charter school where her children attended so they could accomplish the daily ritual together.
The kids piled in the van, backpacks first. Eight year old Emily, Emmy to her family, along with her older brothers, Logan and Riley claimed their seats and strapped in. Stacey rushed to get on the road. Rain poured out of a gray soupy sky. The ride would most likely be longer today.
Stacey liked to take a back way to school. It wound through pastures and new developing housing tracks. Stop signs were at the mile intersections and the roads were good. Interesting was not the word you could use to describe the drive, but it did seem quicker except today…in the rain.
Emmy stared out the window into the deluge day-dreaming. About half way to school they came to a familiar mile-intersection stop sign. Though the rain was in sheets, something caught Emmy’s eye.
“Mom! Stop!”
Out the window at the edge of the road was a young yellow lab dog. It was wet and ragged looking. Emily, loving animals begged her mother to let her get out and get the dog. Of course being on the way to school, Stacey told her they couldn’t put a dog in the van. They continued on to school with Emmy very upset about the yellow dog.
That afternoon on the way home, the yellow dog sat in the pouring rain at the same intersection. Emmy begged but Stacey couldn’t see taking a dog home. Finally she told Emily to pray that God would give the dog a home. They prayed for the dog and continued on.
The next morning the yellow dog was still at the intersection, wet and muddy. Stacey was beginning to feel sorry for the dog, but school was on the agenda first for the day.
It was now Friday afternoon. Emmy scanned the intersection but the yellow dog was gone.
“He’s gone!”
Emmy was very upset.
“Mom, how do we know the yellow dog is safe?”
Stacey tried to console her and told her they had to trust that God had answered prayer. They had to have faith. Stacey admittedly wondered how they would know, but tried to be confident in front of Emmy.
All weekend, Emmy wanted assurance that the yellow dog was safe. Her tender heart ached to know.
Monday morning rolled around. The sun shone through a clear sky as the kids piled into the van. They rode past the fields and houses through the mile-marker stop signs. As they came to the intersection where the yellow dog had sat for a couple days, something caught their eyes. There was a large orange poster board made into a sign attached to two stakes put into the ground. On the sign was written in bold black letters…
“THE YELLOW DOG IS SAFE”
God answered the two prayers of an eight year old girl. Give the dog a home and then He let her know the yellow dog was safe. I have never seen any love greater than the extravagant love of our heavenly Father. What matters to us matters to Him!
Stacey stopped the van and took a picture of the sign. I have included it in this blog.
Trust God today for His extravagant love!
© Copyright Lisa Swayze 2018