‚ÄúMommy, that‚Äôs him!‚Äù I was walking around the neighborhood with my youngest and some of his friends when Caleb pointed at a most unfortunate creature.

My son and husband had mentioned seeing a dog in our cul de sac the day before. It had run away from them before they could help or even distinguish what its needs were.

I followed Caleb‚Äôs gaze and looked down in horror. There, a few feet away from us, was an (almost) skeletal chihuahua . He was dirty, his fur was patchy and tail was balding. The most jolting thing about his appearance: his jawbone was shattered and hung loosely; his tongue nearly touched the ground. My heart winced and I called out for him to come. ‚ÄúCome here little one.‚Äù

To this day, I can‚Äôt believe he came to me and I also can‚Äôt believe I love him as much as I do. At first, I tried to pawn him off on someone else. We did NOT need to be responsible for another person, place or thing. But, God knows what we need, and as much as Thor needed us, we needed Thor!

Every morning I spend my quiet time at the breakfast table and Thor will get out from under the covers and curl up in my lap while I sip on some coffee. There‚Äôs no bones about it‚Ä¶he‚Äôs my dog. Still, every morning before letting me pick him up, he won‚Äôt let me just reach for him and lift him to his perch on my lap‚Äìwe do this ‚Äúsong and dance‚Äù routine where I reach for him and he backs away (a couple of times) and then FINALLY relents.

Why?! Is he still afraid? He‚Äôs safe from those who abused him and broke him. Is that the temperament of the breed? Any sudden moves and he‚Äôs under the bed in a flash!

As I was holding him in my arms this past weekend I felt God share with me, ‚ÄúRachelle, you are my little one just like Thor is yours.‚Äù My eyes welled with tears thinking of how much I‚Äôd come to adore this unlikely companion. No matter how anybody else looks at him, he‚Äôs MY dog!! ‚ÄúYou came to Me broken and I loved you just as you are. Even though you‚Äôve found your place in Me, there are times you‚Äôre still skittish about the arrangement. You don‚Äôt always let Me hold you when I reach for you or allow Me to direct you without a struggle. And, yet, I see your love for Me. You do (often) relent to My arms and My will‚Äì when this happens you allow me to comfort you because I am your home and your rest. You are not perfect, but you love me and I love you. You are mine and I am Yours.‚Äù