What love is. Not!

"Dixie I love you so much!!  Mmmmm!"  This was from my youngest daughter who was showering love and kisses on our hapless Beagle.  It went on for quite a while.  This reminded me that the dog had not been out for her run yet, and was probably standing with her legs crossed.  So I asked our youngest please to put the dog out.  She replied, "I love her too much to put her out!"

I soon sorted that one out!  The dog went out.  But it set me thinking.  Her idea of love was kissing and hugging.  When it came to giving the dog what it really needed - in order to survive - she didn't see that as love. 

Now I love that dog.  Truly.  The fact that she is still alive gives testimony to that!  She should have died many times.  Like the time she stole a Kingsize bar of dark chocolate out of our guests' suitcase!  And ate the whole thing.  We have heard that one or two squares of dark chocolate is enough to poison most dogs; Dixie survived.  True, she did look a bit ill, and she did wake me up at 3am scratching to go outside and empty the contents of her stomach.  I got up and let her out (because I do love that dog!) and decided that because it was 3am and no one else would be up, I would just stand at the front door in  my pyjamas, while she threw up her guts.  I couldn't believe it when I saw - walking down the street - a man with his dog!!  At 3am!!  Of course it took Dixie two and a half seconds to see them too, and she quickly forgot that she was supposed to be spilling her guts and went to bark at them.  I yelled at her at the top of my lungs in my best sargent major voice - greeted the neighbor with a cheery "Bonsoir Monsieur!" and then grabbed Dixie's collar while muttering "I'm going to kill you dog!" 

So you see, the fact that Dixie is alive and well today is proof that I really do love that dog.  With a love that means business.  Not a kissy, mushy love, but one that gets up at 3am and doesn't kill the object of the love! Isn't that reminiscent of God's love for us??  Oh I'm sure there are many times He longs to take us in His arms and love on us, and shower us with kisses, but I am sure there are many, many more times that He has to grit His teeth and say to Himself  "A thousand and three, a thousand and four..."  And we are not struck down by a bolt of lightning; we do in fact live to see another day.  And THAT my friends, is true love!