Sometimes these posts draw on themes from upcoming sermons, but sometimes they’re just personal. This is one of those posts. Just over a week ago, Cassie and I adopted a three-legged dog. According to the adoption agency, she’s a 3-year-old chocolate lab mix. According to a vet in Alabama (where she’s from), she’s 6-years-old. According to our vet here in Quincy, she’s less than 2. So, who knows!
We named her Ruth for several reasons. First, the name actually came up on a silly chocolate lab name list online. Ruth is short for Baby Ruth. Second, at the time of adoption, I had just begun a sermon series on the Book of Ruth. Ruth displayed a loving loyalty in that book that we should all aspire to, and our Ruth has so far displayed that loving loyalty to us. Third, we love classic people names for dogs. It cracks us up. Ruth checks that box. Fourth, Cassie realized that the head of the adoption agency is named Naomi, the same name as Ruth’s mother-in-law in the Bible. Too many good reasons to not name her Ruth.
Here’s what I appreciate about our new dog: she is resilient. She is missing her front right leg. She was found or left at a shelter with a shattered shoulder and leg, so she was likely hit by a car or another type of vehicle. This means that fairly normal activities, like walking slowly while inspecting the smells of a shrub, are difficult. Particularly difficult for her at first was walking up and down stairs. We live in a second-floor apartment, so she needs to use the stairs several times a day. She fell the first few times, but we were there to catch her. Between a special harness with a little handle, practice for her and for us, and patience on her part, she is beginning to master stairs.
Resilience is a character trait of the biblical Ruth as well. She does not allow her circumstances to slow her down, and even embraces more difficult circumstances to care for those she loves. I get to learn about that from both these Ruths in my life.
Pastor Drew's Desk 