“But my righteous one will live by faith” (Hebrews 10:38 NIV).

I think standard poodles fall somewhere between people and pooches on the animal hierarchy—maybe slightly closer to people. Besides entertaining us, Max, our male standard, is like Nana, the canine nanny to the Darling children in Peter Pan. Before retiring, he patrols the yard and marches from room to room to check on everyone, including his sleeping poodle sister.

Maybe we feel especially close to our 85-pound buddy because we almost lost him three times in his first three years of life. After surviving emergency colon surgery, we were heartbroken a year later when he was back in the vet hospital fighting for his life. We had returned from church one Sunday to discover an upset tummy had completely zapped Max’s strength. He was so weak his tongue couldn’t even bring water to his mouth no matter how hard he lapped.

Confusion only added to my grief and helplessness. Why would the Lord allow Max to suffer again, so soon? Why would He save him only to have him at death’s door a year later? As I pondered this, I remembered the story of the man who was born blind. The disciples asked their own “why?”Continue Reading