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This past Thursday my wife, grandkids and I drove about 3 hours north to get a puppy—a nine-week-old German Shepherd/Great Pyrenees mix. We have been looking at dogs for a while and have been discussing it for years, but held off for various reasons. My wife had dogs much of her adult life and my family had a few different dogs when I was growing up. My wife and I have wanted a dog for a while but have held off for a variety of reasons. We have had rabbits and chickens, but this would be our first dog as a couple. All of us were excited.
The event itself took all day. Between six hours of driving to this farm, helping the wife of the couple deliver a baby goat, and meeting the litter and picking a puppy, the hours flew by. The ride home was stressful as well, as the dog got carsick early on and we still had a long drive ahead of us. It all worked out, the puppy arrived at our home safe and sound, and we have been having a both enjoyable-yet-stressful first week with the puppy. What surprised me the most about this entire process was the inner healing I have received during this past week—all from getting a new dog.
To back the story up a bit, when I was younger, all of our dogs were SPCA rescues. The first was Mosby, a golden lab who we ended up having to give away years later. I was probably eight or nine at the time. We had Jeb for a few months, a pitbull puppy who we took back because he was a biter, and at some point we found Ginger. She is the only dog my parents have had in the past thirty years who was not given some sort of South-related Civil War name—and I named her. 🙂
Ginger was a total sweetheart, and I loved that dog. I think our family pretty unanimously agrees that she was the best dog we have ever had, and I remember the day we had her put to sleep. She was old, and I forget all the details, but I was in my teens and I was very sad—we all were. I remember her laying on the table on the right-hand side of our vet’s office as he injected a blue-colored substance into her, and she closed her eyes and passed away. I will never forget that moment; I loved that dog.
Fast forward again to this past week, and this new dog (whom we named Rowan Bronx Delta the I) has helped bring me inner healing I didn’t know I needed–grieving over Ginger’s death. I have found myself thinking of my favorite childhood dog multiple times this past week—when I haven’t thought of her in years. It’s amazing how something so simple—and what would usually be thought of as a good thing, can bring about such painful memories. And while this might not sound like a good thing, it’s actually quite wonderful.
You see, grief, and all other painful emotions are stored in the body, and over time they contribute to physical disease. Even when they don’t cause disease, they remain behind the scenes and negatively impact our ability to make good decisions. When situations arise that feel similar to the one that caused our pain, we naturally and unconsciously react to protect ourselves from further pain. This means that we aren’t actually free to make good decisions because we tend to choose whatever will keep us from the pain we don’t realize we are carrying.
I am thrilled to have added Rowan to our family. I am blessed that I had the opportunity to have Ginger as a pet. And I am very thankful that God has used this encounter to help set me free. How has God been bringing about healing in your life?
For those who need or want help with inner healing, check out the following:
- Flower Essences — these are designed to help release the negative emotions stored in our bodies and make it easier to receive inner healing. Freedom Flowers is the company I recommend to everyone, and if you are new to essences there is a free introductory course you can sign up for on the main page.
- Emotional Healing Prayer — there are a number of great books out there, but two in particular come to mind: Praying Medic’s book Emotional Healing in 3 Easy Steps and Karol Truman’s book Feelings Buried Alive Never Die. The first is a quick and easy method to receive simple healing and is very effective; I use it regularly. The latter delves a good bit deeper, and can help identify hidden emotions as well as help heal them.
- Prayer Counseling: There are a number of prayer counselors out there who can help you, but a few I recommend are Emotional And Spiritual Healing and Debalm Ministries.
- I have written a few other blog posts on this subject including The Weight of Sorrows, Five Steps To Emotional Healing, and Divine Healing That Works
- Check out my new coauthored book Broken to Whole: Inner Healing for the Fragmented Soul. In this book you will learn not only how to identify fragmented parts of your soul and spirit that need healing and integration, but you will uncover why and how they got broken to begin with, as well as what problems they have been causing in your life. You can use the “Fragment Finder” flower essence from Freedom flowers alongside the book to help move your fragment-healing journey forward even faster.
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