At Home – by Rudy Gray

One of the most popular columns I have written in recent years in The Baptist Courier was about our dog Pudd’n. She turned 16 on Jan. 1. On May 7, she passed away. As always, she taught us more than we taught her. After our trip to the vet and the bad news of her problems, we gathered around her and said our goodbyes. We took her body home and I dug a grave for her, and we buried what we believe was the smartest, sweetest dog in the world. We thanked God for the gift of her life and the memories we have.

Rudy Gray

We all cried very much at the vet’s office. They were kind to us. We later reminisced about her life and our love for her. We grieved for our pet. It hurt more than I thought it would. I don’t mind telling you that our family all agreed we like her more than some people we’ve met!

Late in the evening that day, my thoughts turned to Pudd’n again. She was a pound puppy – a mutt. President Obama called himself a mutt. I realized that I’m a mutt also. I don’t have any special blood line. I am a mixture. I am 1/16 Cherokee Indian and have the papers to prove it. The rest of me is a blend of Scotch-Irish. But most of all, I realized I am just a sinner saved by the marvelous grace of God – and that’s more than enough for this life and the one to come. Anyone who is born again is somebody special, regardless of our pedigree. It is not our blood, but His, that gives us forgiveness, eternal life and hope.

Pudd’n was a mutt, but she was the best dog we’ve ever had, and we are all convinced there will never be another dog as loyal or loving as her. We loved her, but she was just a mutt. I, too, am just a mutt, but I know beyond any shadow of a doubt that Jesus Christ loves me – even when I am not very lovable. Jesus loves his children – all of them.

We are still grieving Pudd’n’s death, but we will move on. Life moves on. The Christian faith is about moving on.

We were with Pudd’n until the end. We loved her and we could not forsake her. In a much greater way, Jesus Christ will never desert or forsake his children. Pudd’n was a great dog, but in her passing I thought of a greater lesson: Jesus is an awesome Savior! We said goodbye to Pudd’n, but we will never say goodbye to Jesus, because to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. What a Savior!