Changed Hearts

Meet Lily, the Cavalier King Charles puppy my parents recently acquired. She's adorable, a ball of happiness that flits about chasing shadows. She runs like the wind and then collapses like a blob of jello molded to your lap.

There's nothing unusual about someone liking Lily, except when that someone is my dad.

Growing up, we always had a dog. Pele, an Airedale Terrier, ran long and hard for sticks but lost two litters of puppies, the last of which died on an Easter Sunday morning. Pepper, a small Cockapoo, filled our home with flees on more than one occasion and loved to tear up trash when left alone for too long. Still, both dogs brought humor and fun to our home well into my adult years.

But after Pepper died, my dad vetoed another house pet. He bought my mom dog statues and paintings, but wanted to live pet free after years of animal maintenance. And they did, for almost thirteen years.

Then came Lily.

My niece, Jessica, was asked to sell Lily and her sibling after their owner tired of caring for them last summer. Farm girl Jess was the right babe for the job and carried the two pups to the Marietta Square on July 4th, hoping for a sale. No one would have guessed Lily would melt my dad's heart, but she did. Within the month, she began life in my parent's abode and I continue to hear stories that amaze me.

Lily greets my dad with a flying leap to his lap after he returns from work. Then she climbs up his chair and nestles like a warm scarf around his neck. And he loves it. I even heard a rumor this week that she slept in my parent's bed, nestled on a soft fleece.

And I wonder who this new man really is...

But just about the time I got comfortable gloating about dad's changed heart, God did a radical work in mine. I'd sworn I wouldn't move to Don's old home. Living where his former spouse radiated God's glory through her life and death seemed a hurdle not worth trying to jump. The blended families textbook scenario strongly suggests we should to sell both homes and start over with a new one. But just when the house was about to sell, we stopped by and God changed me. In fact, the realtor had called that very morning during church and my heart lept at the thought that someone had made an offer on the house. Little did I know that by sundown, I would be planning a move, trusting an inner peace I still can't explain.

Are you up against a wall? Can't see beyond the brick and mortar you face? So was I.

Take heart. Be of good cheer. God changes hearts, yours and mine.

"The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you in power... and you will be changed into a different person." (1 Sam. 10:6)