Most kids were afraid of the imaginary monster under the bed. Not me. I was terrified of dogs. That may come as a surprise to some of you since you know how much I love dogs. Like many fears, it started with a childhood experience.
When I was a very small girl, my great grandfather, Papaw Janeway had two chihuahuas. Unfortunately for me, every time he came over to my grandparents’ house, he would bring them with him. If I was outside when Papaw pulled into the driveway, I would race to their house as fast as I could run. That way I could be safely inside before Papaw opened his car door.
For the record, I know many people who have chihuahuas and they are great little dogs. Papaw Janeway’s were not. Especially not to me. Seriously, I think they got a thrill out of terrifying me. As soon as they saw me, they made a bee line for me and would start yipping and jumping as they snapped at me. I remember having to sit with my legs under me until they left.
From that point on, any dog terrified me; that is until I had to deal with another dog.
When I was a few years older, I would help Mamaw Jo deliver meals for the Mobile Meals program when I was out of school for the summer. There was this one house were the lady had a dachshund. As soon as we walked inside, it started to bark at me. I went back to being that scared little girl again. I dreaded going each day.
One day Mamaw Jo told me, “It’s just a little dog. You’re letting it scare you.” I thought about that and decided I wasn’t going to let it scare me anymore. So, the next time we went into the lady’s house, I talked to her dog when it started to bark at me. You know what happened next? Instead of barking at me, he wagged his tail. Then I began to pet him. Before you knew it, we were pals and would sit together in a chair as I rubbed his fur. He’d look up at me with his big brown eyes and give me a doggie smile.
“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
I absolutely love this verse. It’s one of my favorites in that it encourages me. As Believers, God is indeed the strength of our lives, but when we let things scare us, those things come between us and The Lord. So, the next time you are afraid, hand it over to Him. No matter what happens in this life, you are His for eternity and nothing can change that.
Now, I absolutely love doggies. Tim and I adopted our dog Roxy from the Union County Humane Society. Our daughter Sara interned there when she was in college, so we knew it was a great place to adopt a dog. Why don’t you check it out for yourself?
http://www.unioncountyhumanesociety.org
(865) 992-7969
719 Hickory Star Road 37807
Brooke Cox is an author, speaker, and storyteller. She was a 2016 Selah Awards Finalist for Debut Novel. Her children’s book: “Dinosaur Eggs,” is now available. It is based on Ephesians 6: The Armor of God. Her novel “Until the Moon Rises: A Conniving Cousin Mystery” is also available. Also, she has two books out in her storytelling series: “Saucy Southern Stories.” The Amazon links for her books may be found on her website: brookecoxstories.com. Please feel free to contact her. She would love to hear from you.