Bigger God for a Bigger Year

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My dog Buddy thinks he is bigger and badder than any other dog. He’s not.

Buddy was quite literally dropped off at our door and into our arms. His former owners ran for their car and thus he was adopted into our home. We have never regretted this decision and he is a fine young man although possessing a rather interesting personality.

We had three small female dogs when Buddy arrived but he adapted and fit perfectly into our family. They loved him and he returned their affection. But then we took Buddy for a walk. His demeanor quickly changed and we were shocked to find a total lack of socialization and a very aggressive behavior that was troubling. All the more so because we were in a charity walk for our local Humane Society. They looked at us like we were the worst pet parents and we tried to explain that he was a recent rescue who had never behaved so poorly.

The interesting thing is the bigger the other dog, the more Buddy goes into attack mode. On a good day and with a full stomach, Buddy weighs about 12 pounds. He was not deterred…he wanted to go for the jugular of any Rottweiler or Doberman he could sink his tiny teeth into. It was alarming.

We have had Buddy a long time and tried many things but the bottom line is that somewhere in his past 8 years, he was hurt and became aggressive with other dogs. In his mind, Buddy is bigger than he thinks.

Somehow, I like this. I know I should not and we never allow him to engage with any dog because I don’t want him killed. But I like the way he thinks. He’s a big, bad dude and no one is going to mess with Buddy. Get on board or get out of his way. He’ll eat you for breakfast. Simply put Buddy has a killer mentality.

As I think on this New Year, I want Buddy’s attitude. I want a killer mentality for Christ. I want to stir the pot. I want people to think about Jesus. I want to encourage others to remember what is most important in life…a Jesus that gave His all and gave it all for us. Go big with Jesus or go home.

I promise not to hurt anyone – I just want to share the love and grace of Jesus Christ. There is no room for timid behavior, we need to be aggressive as we share the good news.

Buddy would be proud.

What was lost is now found…our dog Buddy

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BUddy

My dog Buddy came to us in the most unexpected way. He was dropped into my huband’s arms after answering the door late one night. The person took off running and never looked back.

My husband stared at me in wonder. I took one look at this messed up and battered puppy and ran into the bathroom to begin the process of removing fleas from his matted hair. He had more fleas than I have ever seen in my life. My oldest daughter rushed over and it took us until two in the morning to rid him of these pests. We ruined my husbands hair clippers in the process.

It was all worth it.

I dutiful took him to the vet, had him scanned for a chip (no chip), realized that HE (I never had boy dogs) was not fixed, and watched for lost dog reports. As the proud owner of three rescued female dogs, we had absolutely no intention of keeping him but were intent on finding him a good home.

I named him Buddy.

Buddy was great with our dogs. They loved him and welcomed him into the pack. It was not until we went for walks (specifically an ill-advised animal shelter fundraiser) that we realized he was not socialized and obviously had led a rather harsh young life. He was in full on protective mode. Buddy had issues.

We made one attempt to place Buddy with another family but I couldn’t do it. There was something about this young man that pulled at my heart; so he was adopted into the Hutchinson clan. My husband, who was against this decision at first, became Buddy’s biggest and most loyal advocate. To this day, Buddy follows him everywhere and waits for my husband’s return from work. In a house full of women, I think they have a “bro” code that I can’t break.

What does this have to do with God? To me…everything.

God takes the most broken, beaten and abused people and can fix them. He loves us just the way we come to Him. When we misbehave, He still loves us. We don’t have a “code” with God…we have a covenant. His love is unconditional. His grace is sufficient for our needs. We are His favorite. We belong to Him.

We are redeemed…just like Buddy. We are no longer lost. We are lucky indeed.

Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. Luke 1:68