I believe God made dogs to let us see a little of what unconditional love can look like each day on earth. The only way that you can train a dog not to love you is to beat them, yell loudly at them, keep them in a cruel place chained down with no hope.
Yet if you take care of your dog, love them and train them, you will never have a more loyal friend.
We have four dogs and each one has it's own personality. Yet when I come home in the evening, all four are at the door with their tails wagging and thrilled to see me. Rusty, our Golden Retriever, even has a big broad smile with his greeting. Yet if I accidentally happen to step on his toes, he does not run and hides but puts his head down, then quickly rises back up with a smile and is ready for love and play. He never recalls what you did for any length of time but inside loves me at all times unconditionally.
Two of our rescues were dumped at our gate and you could tell they had been beaten because we assume their master had wanted hunting dogs and these two were afraid of loud noises. Yet they are two sweet dogs who are great watchdogs and protectors with unconditional love for us. Over the years these dogs have been the most loving dogs you'll find but I'd hate to be an intruder as they know to protect us. Yet when there is a storm, they simply want reassurance from us that everything is alright. The impact of the past easily comes flowing forward.
God loves us the same way. His love is unconditional and will never go away. Yet the hurt of our past, many times in the name of religion will turn us away from God. So God uses the attitude we see in our dogs and always smiles at us,blesses us even when we have been hurt, and has compassion waiting with open arms. He caresses us with his peaceful whisper and loving hand of mercy in every part of our lives no matter what is happening around us. He demonstrates in our hearts what our dogs show openly. Great example of unconditional love.
Take a moment and think of how your pet is like God int this way with unconditional love for you. The difference is that God loved you so much that he sent His son to have an eternal relationship with you!
Then there's Princess Rosie,our Alpha dog, but that's for another day's devotion!
