I know where I would be, Forever running but losing this race
Were it not for grace
...that is how the saints persevere...
His grace is sufficient! 2 Corinthians 5:9

Were It Not For Grace
Larnelle Harris

Time measured out my days, life carried me along
In my soul I yearned to follow God but knew I'd never be so strong
I looked hard at this world to learn how Heaven could be gained
Just to end where I began, where human effort is all in vain

Were it not for grace, I can tell you where I'd be
Wandering down some pointless road to nowhere
With my salvation up to me, I know how that would go
The battles I would face forever running but losing the race
Were it not for grace

So here is all my praise expressed with all my heart
Offered to the Friend who took my place and ran a course I could not start
And when He saw in full just how much His love would cost
He still went the final mile between me and Heaven so I would not be lost

Were it not for grace, I can tell you where I'd be
Wandering down some pointless road to nowhere
With my salvation up to me and I know how that would go
The battles I would face forever running but losing the race
Were it not for grace

Forever running but losing this race
Were it not for grace

Integrity

 "Have you seen me? Please help me, I'm lost! My name is Gracie and I'm a 4 lb. pomeranian.  I got lost on stanley Road.  If you see me, please call my mom right away!!" 

Three days earlier Julie had been stopped on the road by a tiny little dog, with ice on her belly, in the middle of Brookside Road. She stopped her SUV and the little girl hopped right in. The next few days we nursed her, fed her and almost decided she would be ours. Julie checked with the neighbors, the local postings and Craig's list and had the vet look for a "chip" and yet did not find any sign of her owner. 

Anyone who knows my wife Julie knows what a heart she has for dogs, and that she raised dogs for years. It wasn't until I came onto the scene that she stopped being a dog owner. A great sacrifice for someone like Julie. Me? I had almost forgotten about her dogs. You see, I am dog-friendly, but not really a dog lover.

Back to the story. When we had almost given up searching for the owner, Julie went to past a "Lost Dog" notice at the Marsh community board. It was one of the hardest things she had done in a while, because she had really become attached, but she told me she kept thinking what it must be like to be the lost dog's owner. Julie's choice, illustrated for me the meaning of the golden rule "And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them." Luke 6:31 And that's when she saw the sign. "Have you seen me? Please help me, I'm lost!"

Seriously? You can't make this stuff up.  Julie was sad, and happy.  That night we reconnected Gracie and her "Mom" at Stoops Buick.  Gracie got all excited when were within a quarter mile of the dealership - must be "dog sense".  The reunion was pretty touching, even for me. We found out later that the owner had not posted the sign at the community board where Julie went, but somehow got moved to where Julie would look for it. Coincidence? :) "The integrity of the upright guides them..." Proverbs 11:3

During that time it became clear what lessons I could learn from a dog, and how much that meant to Julie. Somehow the pain of all that for Julie made it a poignant experience.  Those costly sacrifices are the ones that seem to matter most. We've decided that it's time to look again into being dog owners. Now in search for a Poodle and a Golden Retriever. Stay tuned.

PS.  If you see a lost dog, you just might want to take the chance of letting your heart get hurt.