Today I saw a craigslist ad for Boxer pups (no, I'm not getting a new puppy ... yet, at least ;-)). Our Boxers died a few years ago, but in checking out the pictures of the pups in the ad, I was reminded again of what I learned when we got ours years ago.
I was particularly reminded of the gift of Cisco, who started out as an ugly white-faced pup and ended up a beautiful gift of God to me.
Here's how it happened:
"Hey, you guys want a puppy?" our friends, Steve and Angela, asked one day after church. "They’ll be born in about a month.”
"Nah. I got enough work to do,” I said.
Steve smiled. “They’re boxers.”
“Boxers? Really?" My husband and I spun around. We loved boxers. But, they were hard to come by, and expensive at that, so we'd never gotten one.
"Yeah, purebreds." Steve’s grin broadened. "So, what do you say?”
"I’ve changed my mind. We definitely want one!” The words tumbled from my mouth.
In a month, right on schedule, seven little boxer puppies were born. With hearts filled with longing, Bryan and I leaned over the litter and eyed each one. Which would we choose? Six were just adorable, with their little black faces and pushed in noses. The seventh, on the other hand, was not. An ugly pinkish-white splotch spread over his entire face, making him look more like a rat than a dog.
"Yuck. What happened to that one?" I said, pointing at the white-faced pup.
Angela sighed. "We might end up having to keep that one. I can't imagine anyone picking him."
I shrugged and studied the cute puppies.
Bryan stepped next to me. "Which one do you like the best?"
"What about that one?" I pointed to a pup with a thin white stripe up his face.
Bryan picked up the puppy and handed him to me. "This is the one I like, too."
Steve smiled. "Hey, why don't you guys take two?"
"Could we?" Bryan breathed then turned to me. "Is there another one you like?"
"Well, let me hold me a different one and I'll see.”
Bryan headed toward the puppy pen.
"Any one but that ugly little white faced one!" I added as Bryan reached into the pen.
One by one I held the other five pups, but none seemed “just right.”
Finally, five weeks rolled around. Like new parents, we gazed down at the wiggling mass of puppies. There they all were, six little black faced cuties, and one . . . wait a minute! There was the white faced pup, and he was the cutest of the bunch.
We brought all the little boxers out to play on the mat, and the white-faced one played with Bryan and I, licked our faces, and wagged his little nubby tail. I couldn't resist. We claimed our second pup.
Now, Cisco is a special blessing to me. He snuggles with me when I’m sad, romps with me when I’m happy, and sits curled at my feet when I watch television. Often, Bryan looks at us, shakes his head, and says, "He's definitely your dog." And to think that I once said, "Any puppy but that ugly little white faced one."
It makes me wonder how many gifts from God I turn my back on because they seem a little ugly at first, or aren't what I had in mind. Maybe it's that lunch with someone who sort of bugs me, or the Bible study I just don’t have time for, or the neighborhood get-together that I feel too tired to attend. Cisco had to turn cute before I would accept him, but other things may not become attractive until I jump in and experience them.
Cisco has become a reminder to me to look beyond my initial reactions to see what God may have for me. I try not to say “yuck!” too quickly, but instead remember that the ugly, white-faced puppies in my life may really be special gifts from God, sent just for me!
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