Everything is
always working out.
Those are
words we sometimes do not appreciate, aren’t they?
Romans 8:28
is often one of the Bible verses we learn as a child in Sunday School.
And we
know that in all things God works for the good of
those who love him.
Understandably, those words are difficult to absorb if we are
grieving or ill or in financial distress.
I have learned – at long
last and in spite of much stubborn resistance on my part – the truth of those
words.
Everything is always working
out.
For those who doubt, Alizé
has a great story to tell.
A little back story about Alizé.
My cousin Kelly’s son, Christopher, raised Alizé from a puppy. He bred her and in June, 2004, she
had pups. On July 1, Christopher took one of the pups to see an interested
buyer. On the way home, his truck left the road and hit a tree. He was 19.
Alizé, a pit
bull/boxer mix is now 14. She is a grand old lady, and a reminder of how much Chris
loves animals…and how much we love him and miss his presence.
On Christmas
day, Alizé slipped her collar and took a walk that turned into quite a ride.
But the
story really starts in early December when Kelly called to ask if I would help
her 80 year old mother drive from Pennsylvania to Pittsboro, NC, where Kelly
lives. We would make the drive in mid-January.
Later that
day, however, my dog went from limping on her right rear leg to not putting
weight on it at all. The diagnosis was a torn ACL, which meant severely limited
activity for 6-8 weeks. That was a wrench in the plans.
A few days
later, Kelly’s sister, Kristin, was laid off. While that isn’t great news, it
solved the problem of my not being able to accompany me aunt on the drive.
Everything is
always working out.
But the
story gets better…
Alizé has
made friends with a neighbor several doors away. The man has a bed on his porch
for her and makes her eggs when she comes to visit, which is great since she
has developed a disorder which causes a protein deficiency.
This
disorder has also caused her to lose weight, and subsequently slip her collar
more readily.
No one knows
if she stopped at her friend’s house on Christmas, but instead of returning home,
she walked to the end of Kelly’s road then turned onto Jones Ferry Road, which
is much busier.
As the
afternoon wore on, Kelly became worried because Alizé hadn’t returned. She
drove up and down Jones Ferry. No sign of Alizé. She and her husband searched
the woods behind their home, calling her name loudly. Nothing. They printed off
signs with her picture, hung them on utility poles, posted one at the
convenience store nearby and everywhere they could imagine Alizé might be.
There was a report that someone had seen a similar dog being picked up by a driver
on Jones Ferry. Kelly called the local animal shelter to report Alizé
missing.
Three days
went by with no word. Three days of Alizé being without her meds and the
special food she needs to combat the protein deficiency. We all hoped and
prayed.
But
everything is always working out.
On day four,December
29, Kelly received a phone call. A woman named Maqui had been visiting her
brother and his family in a development off Jones Ferry Road, almost directly across from Kelly’s
road. Maqui saw Alizé walking along the road and picked her up to prevent her
from being hurt. Because Alizé had slipped her collar, Maqui had no idea she
was close to home. Maqui’s brother was unable to care for Alizé, and Maqui was
unwilling to leave her at a shelter closed for the holiday weekend, so she took
Alizé home with her.
Great lady,
right? That isn’t the half of it.
After returning home, Maqui took Alizé to her
local vet, had her examined and microchipped, and purchased medication and
special food for her. Then she called the Chatham County shelter to see if
there had been a report of a dog like Alizé missing. The shelter gave Maqui
Kelly’s number.
Imagine
Kelly’s relief when she heard Alizé was safe!!
Maqui said
they would have to make arrangements to meet because she lives seven hours from
Pittsboro.
Imagine
Kelly’s amazement when she found out those seven hours took Maqui to Pittsburgh
– an hour away from both Kelly’s mom and Kristin! By the evening of the 29th,
Alizé was sleeping in Kristin’s house, still wearing the sweater Maqui bought
her.
Everything
is always working out.
Some people doubt that God has the time or inclination to care about the details of
our days and our lives.
Many times
situations arise which make it hard to be certain that everything always works
out.
But think about
this story. Think about how different it could have been.
Anyone could
have picked up Alizé. Or no one.
Instead, she
was on Jones Ferry Road at the perfect time to be picked up by a wonderful
woman willing to ride seven hours with her.
A woman who was also willing to pay for an examination and special food
and meds. Are you surprised to know it is the same food Kelly’s vet
prescribed??
Maqui didn’t
have to do that, and once she had, she sure didn’t have to call the shelter. She
could have kept Alizé forever.
The 500 miles Maqui drove with Alizé could have taken them to Hoboken, NJ or St Augustine,
FL or Nashville, TN or Louisville, KY.
Instead, it
took them an hour from Kelly’s mom and sister.
And remember
- they had already planned to drive to Kelly’s in two weeks.
Everything
is always working out.
I recently
heard “coincidence” defined as “cooperating incidences.” That resonated with me since I stopped believing
in chance or coincidence or accidents long ago.
“Everything
is always working out for me” has become a mantra of mine. Sometimes, it is
spoken through gritted teeth, or through brains cells gritted by frustration or
doubt. Sometimes, it is spoken through tears.
Sometimes, I
want to see HOW it is working out RIGHT NOW. Okay, mostly I always want that.
As we head
into a new year, I am determined to live more often as if everything is working
out for me. To live it so loudly that other people say, “Gee, everything always
works out for Beth!”
If I get off
track, Alizé will help me remember.
Maybe she
can help you remember too…
Blessings to
you.
BP
Beth Painter is, among many other things, a writer and
motivational speaker. You can follow her on Facebook on the “Think Big
focus small” page.
Beth is available to speak to your group about how to make your
dreams and desires come to life!
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