In the midst of the Pandemic last year our family lost one of its treasured members, our beloved Penny. Penny was a Catahoula, the breed which is the State dog of Louisiana. Penny lived a good life and added so much comfort and joy for all of us.
During the Pandemic Penny developed a persistent nose bleed. The Vet gave us the razor sharp news that Penny had inoperable cancer. Medicine stopped the nose bleeds for a time. Then, it came time to let Penny go. To not suffer any more. Out of love we made arrangements for the Vet to come to our house. The grandkids, Ellora, Ellisa, and Tristan, placed Penny outside in the yard in her soft bed. We said our goodbyes and gave Penny our fond farewell hugs. Then, the Vet did what is mercifully done to end a pet’s life when mercy is the only thing left to do.
Last Saturday we were told that there was a five-month-old puppy at the SPCA who needed to be adopted. It was a female like Penny. It was a mixed-breed Catahoula dog like Penny. To top it off, the SPCA had named the puppy Penny. As you can guess we took that puppy home. We miss our first Penny. But, our second Penny has already started filling the void left in our hearts last year. What were the odds that these qualities in our new puppy were pure coincidence?
How many of you have experienced things which happen which are more than random coincidence? Things which seem connected by a Holy thread. Inexplicable happenings which become the fabric of your faith that God’s hand is present in your life? How many times have you felt that God has left you alone and adrift? Then, you are faced with something more than coincidence. You are shaken by something extraordinary on an ordinary day. Awakened that underneath the life you are living there is the Holy. That God has plans for you. For me. And for pets too.
God has spoken to us in Scripture about Holy coincidence.
Romans 8:28
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
Let us pray together.
Dear God, in prayer please help us to look more closely at the events of each day and to see that Your hand touches us with Your purpose and love.
God, in prayer we thank You for all Holy coincidences which reinforce our faith in You.
God, we are truly grateful that You are always present, whether seen or unseen.
God, in the often mundane, ordinary, or dark times in our lives, it is no coincidence that Your light and love shine on us. Amen
If you like this prayer, please share.
If you want to purchase for yourself or a friend a copy of Bending Angels: Living Messengers of God’s Love or Prayerful Passages: Asking God’s Help in Reconciliation, Separation or Divorce, please click on here to go to Amazon.
Jack H. Emmott is a Senior Counsel of Gray, Reed & McGraw, LLP, a 145-lawyer full-service firm in Houston, Dallas, and Waco, Texas, a Board-Certified Family Law and Master Credentialed Collaborative Law Professional Divorce Attorney, Mediator, Author, Entrepreneur, and Inspirational Speaker. For more information about Jack or his latest book, Bending Angels: Living Messengers of God’s Love, go to the Bending Angel website.