Paws to Reflect
for DOG LOVERS
Praise for Paws to Reflect
“When I read Devon O’Day’s first book, My Angels Wear Fur, it awakened a new purpose in life for me. It sent me on a path that introduced me to helping thousands of homeless animals that were dying in southern shelters and on roadsides. Due to those inspirational stories of personal rescues, I formed Critter Cavalry Rescue in 2006. The journey of rescue work is hard but so profoundly rewarding. I now find that Devon and Kim are providing me with the daily devotionals and spiritual depth that I need as I help stay the course with Critter Cavalry Rescue. Devon and Kim have a voice that speaks to us from God’s Word and his heart. Their gift of words from God’s Spirit carries so many of us through life with hope, purpose, and inspiration. These devotions will change and redirect many lives with their crisp focus on God’s lessons to us all.”
—Candace Simpson-Giles, Founder
of Critter Cavalry National Animal Rescue and Transport
“Paws to Reflect is an intimate and personal journey through Scripture and life as shared with our best friends—our pets. I begin each day by focusing on the positives—my Lab at my feet, the pasture where our horses stand, our cat waking up—while reading Paws to Reflect. You would do well to do the same.”
—Dr. Joey Faucette, bestselling author of Listen to Life with Your Pets
“I am very excited about Paws to Reflect, and and I feel that it will be a blessing as well as provide words of revelation and knowledge to readers. Thank you, Devon and Kim, for bringing new thoughts and ideas by means of God’s animal kingdom to the body of Christ.”
—Georgina Bearden, Solid Rock Family Worship Center,
Religion News Columnist, Columbia, TN
Paws to Reflect
for DOG LOVERS
60 Devotions 
Devon O’Day and Kim McLean
To William McLean Johnston, Chief Dog-Chaser, Cat Whisperer, Pony Wrangler, Fence Mender, Hay Pitcher, Farm Explorer, and Environment Protector at Big Sky Heaven Blue Farm. Thank you for your love of God’s creation. You are the future . . . lead on!
PAWS TO REFLECT FOR DOG LOVERS
Compilation copyright © 2015 by Abingdon Press
Selections from PAWS TO REFLECT: 365 DEVOTIONS FOR THE ANIMAL
LOVER’S SOUL Copyright © 2012 by Abingdon Press
All rights reserved.
No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission can be addressed to Permissions, The United Methodist Publishing House, 2222 Rosa L. Parks Blvd., P.O. Box 280988, Nashville, TN, 37228-0988 or e-mailed to [email protected].
ISBN 978-1-5018-1010-7
Unless noted otherwise scripture quotations in devotions attributed k.m. are taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Unless noted otherwise scripture quotations in devotions attributed d.o. are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked “NKJV™” are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the Authorized (King James) Version. Rights in the Authorized Version in the United Kingdom are vested in the Crown. Reproduced by permission of the Crown’s patentee, Cambridge University Press.
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23—10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Introduction
I am amazed at the many roles dogs have in both in our lives and in our society. They can be a best friend or a lifesaver to someone lost or trapped; a soft, cuddly therapist for the traumatized or a valued family member. The day a dog lover gets a new dog or puppy is one of our best days—the day we lose our dog is one of our worst.
We are tied to these remarkable creatures because they love us unconditionally and patiently—they think their “person” is the very BEST. This is a reflection of how God feels about us. God created dogs for us and gave them the extraordinary ability to win our hearts.
In this book, Devon and Kim write about their experiences and love of dogs, and the personal and spiritual lessons they’ve learned from them. I hope that you take a moment to pause and be inspired by these reflections of love and trust.
Lisa Lehr Abingdon Press
Let Sleeping Dogs . . .
DREAM!
Awake, awake, arm of the Lord, clothe yourself with strength! Awake, as in days gone by, as in generations of old.
—Isaiah 51:9
Some days, Daisy, our three-legged Dalmatian, is curled in sound sleep, when Henry, the miniature schnauzer, comes along to torment her with a curious sniff. Henry’s curiosity and agitation can rouse Daisy from a dead sleep to a ferocious attack in zero to six seconds.
As humans, we have a metaphoric sleep as well, spending a lot of time in a comfortable “coast” in life’s holding pattern. We fail to live up to our potential and forget to heed our calling. We need to be awakened to a fresh new life, without taking the heads off those around us, being jolted, as it were, out of our day-to-day rut. How to respond? How do we change and become fully aware and awake? We have to let go of the old habits and let ourselves forge a new path in obedience. When we empty ourselves of the world, we can be filled with God’s light. We must let go of comfort—something that can be truly terrifying.
When you see a sleeping dog lash out, it’s not usually out of a mean spirit. It’s out of fear. We react just as ferociously as a sleeping dog sometimes because we are afraid to become new—afraid to become God’s full potential for us.
On this first day of the year, let us wake up into a new day, where we have love all around us to encourage us. Let last night’s nightmare fall away and become today’s glorious dream. Be courageous in God’s new world for you!—d.o.
Pink Slips and Chew Bones
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
—Philemon 1:3
I watched the golden retriever I had fostered for six months ride away with her new “mommy” as she stared at me through the back windshield of that little red Honda. She had come such a long way from the frightened abuse victim placed in my care.