Three Legged Dog Phenomena

Nov 10, 2005Write!

My blog and website have a counter on them. Occasionally I scroll through StatCounter and see where folks have come from for a visit. People come to my blog and website for various reasons, but the number one reason visit my website is this search:

THREE LEGGED DOG

I have a story on my site about how the family dog, Rosie, taught me life lessons. She was a German Shepherd/Labrador mix. After Thanksgiving one year, we returned from our feast to an injured Rosie. She’d been shot in the leg. Eventually, she had to have it amputated. You can read the whole story here.

This phenomena of “three legged dog” being a major reason for folks visiting my website helped me remember something my friend Valerie told me.

I’d been fretting about how little I’d “done” here in France. I assumed that doing lots of things that looked like ministry would be what pleased God, and would ultimately lead to folks being touched by Him through me.

But just as the three legged dog search surprised me, Valerie’s words startled me. “I’ve been watching you,” she said. She went on to talk about our family here and how just being around us and the way we love each other has had an impact on her life. It goes to show that followers of Jesus minister to others by simply living life for Him. Our love for Him and each other is contagious. It may not be that we accomplish one hundred things on our spiritual list that touches others. It may simply be that we love Jesus where we are, and as we do that He rubs off on others.

So I thought people would be drawn to the website because they want writing help or wanted to learn more about our lives in France. Turns out, they want to visit Rosie the wonderdog! And I thought ministry would be solely about tasks and lists, but I’ve learned it’s more about who I am becoming on the inside, with God’s healing touch infusing me with life, than anything I plot out to do.

Surprises come in many packages–in three legged dogs who quietly teach us about life, in friends who validate the deepest parts of us. I wouldn’t trade either.

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