Reflecting on your concern for your dog’s health, consider the loyalty of such a creature. A dog fawns upon its master, whether well-fed or famished, never deserting even when whipped or throttled. Yet we, who receive countless blessings from God, often bark at Him when we do not get what we wish, or forget Him entirely when we are satisfied. This vet visit reveals where your heart leans.
Do you trust only in a good report, or can you give thanks whatever the outcome? Many who are sick become healthy, and many healthy grow infirm through carelessness. The health of your dog is a fleeting thing, like all that is seen, but the things unseen are eternal. Let your foremost prayer be for the soul’s health, yours and those entrusted to you.
Bring your request with gratitude for all God’s providence, not as one demanding a favor, demanding a favor, but as one receiving a kingdom that cannot be moved. If the report is good, do not behave like a worthless dog that forgets the hand that feeds it, but offer thanksgiving to the Lord of all, not merely for a reprieve from sorrow but for every moment of His mercy. If the news is hard, even then let thanksgiving rise, for through patient endurance of small griefs we are trained for the blessings to come. Let not your hope be built on the shifting ground of earthly well-being, but on the consuming fire of God’s love, which purifies and steadies the soul.
So you will serve Him with reverence, acknowledging that in all things, health or sickness, ease or trial, His grace is sufficient.