So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.
It was complete destruction. We have two new puppies. One is almost a year; the other is 3 months. We were so proud of them for potty training quickly and doing a very good job at just being good. Initially there were some issues and some adjustments, but they had really come a long way in a short amount of time. We still were not very trusting when we left the house, but they were doing well.
My husband left for 3 days for a men’s retreat. While he was gone it was just me and the puppies. They did great and I tested them when I wasn’t at home. Each time I came home everything was pretty much how I left it and no accidents. I was so proud of them! My husband came home, and I told him all about it.
Tonight, we were getting ready to leave the house. We would be gone for a few hours, so my husband was preparing to put them outside with access only to the garage. I told him they would be fine. They did great all weekend. Just let them have access to the house as well. Reluctantly he agreed and we left.
When we came home, we discovered the door to the basement was open. They are not to go downstairs because they are always naughty down there. I went downstairs to see what state things were in. To my dismay, there was total destruction. Two pillows had been chewed and the contents scattered on the floor along with the seat cushion to a rocker. I began to clean up the mess, looking everywhere just to see if I noticed anything else. Sure enough, there was a pile of bags full of clothes (we packed them pending a possible move) and on top of one bag was a brown smelly mess!
I finished cleaning the mess up and began to get myself ready for bed. Thinking about all this destruction, I found myself calm. I was disappointed in the dogs but not angry. The things they destroyed were thrown away. We agreed they were not ready for so much freedom when we are not at home. I talked to God and the phrase “spilled milk” came to mind. Don’t fret over spilled milk. Wipe it up and move on. There is something far more important to think about.
When we make a mess of things, and we do since we are sinful, selfish humans, God does not get angry at us, yell at us, and banish us. He gently pulls at our hearts asking us to come to Him, to be held in His arms. He will pick up the mess and make something far better with it then we could ever imagine.
When you find things turning into “spilled milk” remember, trust Him to wipe up the mess and create something wonderful from it.