Dog Tales & Pup ParablesSample

Candy’s Heart: A Lesson in Faith

Candy is a spunky little West Highland White Terrier who belongs to one of my nieces. They have been constant companions for many years as they go about doing chores on the horse farm where they live. Compared to the large, athletic horses that live on the farm, Candy is pretty small. In fact, she’s not quite halfway up to the knee of one of those huge horses, if you put them side by side. But what Candy lacks in stature, she makes up for in her disposition. She’s all heart. When I visit the farm, she bounces down the front steps, tail wagging in a friendly greeting. She’s always cheerful, and it just brightens your day to visit Candy.

It came as quite a shock one night when my niece sent me an urgent text message asking for prayer for her beloved pet. Candy had developed a serious heart condition called chordae tendinae rupture and congestive heart failure, and her survival hung in the balance. My niece happens to be a veterinary medicine student, so I’m sure she understood the gravity of Candy’s condition more than most. In fact, most people probably would have accepted that Candy wouldn’t make it.

Nevertheless, in her prayer request, I discerned a real gift of faith. Her faith demonstrated Hebrews 11:1 perfectly. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Contrary to the evidence, and well aware of the dire straits that Candy was in, she reached out for God’s hand to guide the veterinary care being given to her darling dog. That’s what faith is. Faith reaches out to other believers for prayer in spite of the evidence.

Needless to say, I went to prayer, asking the Lord to bless the faith of my niece and put His healing hand upon Candy’s heart. I texted several other dog-loving, faith-filled friends, as well, asking them to pray for Candy. Over the next few days, many prayers for Candy were made. It was nip and tuck for a while, but Candy made it. At nearly fourteen years old, she has survived for more than two additional years with the intervention of God and excellent veterinary care, because of the faith of a girl who reached out for prayer and asked God to do the impossible.

Personal Prayer

Lord, I need your help to see through eyes of faith. I ask you to open my eyes to the possibilities with you rather than seeing the impossible. Thank you, Lord, for giving me eyes to see.