Molly

My wife and I had our dog for 13 years.  She was about a year old when our kids gave her to us as a Christmas present.  We really didn’t need a dog but our adult kids thought we would be lonely now that they were out of the house.

Without asking us, they conspired together to bring a dog into our home. They went to a local animal shelter and found her huddled in the back of a cage with several other dogs. She was shaking and afraid. A few days before Christmas we came home to find our kids and a dog in our family room. She was still recovering from surgery and seemed overwhelmed by all these people attending to her.  

There was no turning back. We couldn’t send her back to the shelter. We agreed to welcome her into our home. We named her Molly.  She was part of our family for a long time.

As I was reflecting on our years with Molly, I realize that we had a completely wordless relationship.  She seemed to understand our words, but she never said a word herself!

She did communicate in different ways.  Sometimes she simply looked at you with those big brown eyes and you knew she wanted something.  We didn’t always know right away what she wanted, but we knew she needed something.  Usually she wanted to go for a walk!

Sometimes she communicated with a little whine.  She might need to go outside or she was having a bad dream.  Her little whine usually got our attention. One time when she was older she became stuck under our bed and was crying out in pain and distress. We knew immediately she needed help.

She also alerted us with a bark when someone came to the front door. And she would usually go to the door to greet them. It is interesting that she could communicate so much with us without words.

There is a verse in the Bible in First Peter 3:1-2 that says you can have an impact on other people without words. Peter said our behavior speaks louder than our words! You and I are probably unaware how loudly our actions and behavior speak. You can learn a lot about a person by their behavior. You learn a lot by how people act and react in different situations. Let me encourage you to communicate love, kindness, patience and compassion through your actions and reactions.  And, be aware that what you do often communicates much more than what you say!

Read 365 more encouraging stories and articles by Mark Hopper in his book Let Me Encourage You. The price is only $25 and includes postage. Order your copy today at markh@efreedb.org.