About ten years ago my little brother moved to the family farm, which is in the middle of nowhere, to reorganize his life. His desire to stop smoking herbs and drinking was far to weak to stand against the climate that he had grown up in. His only hope was to remove himself completely from this overwhelming influence. The farm was just the place. Surrounded by God fearing, America loving, neighbor loving, benevolent, kind country people, he naturally began to walk uprightly and shake loose from the chains that bound him. Of course, this success only with the grace that comes from God.
As he began to learn how to live in sobriety and looking for a sense of purpose, someone offered him a dog. A dog was a splendid idea. The farm was without a dog and needed one, my brother needed the kind of friend that only a dog could be. He was given a seven month old pure breed German Shepard whom he named Faith. Faith instantly bonded with my brother and a deep, important, relationship was born. Any good dog needs love and my brother needed the medicinal qualities of such a bond. At the same time Faith became family to the rest of my family as well. She naturally began to organize the farm. She kept the marauding coyotes at bay, put the cats in their places, chased all of the coons away, and became a deterrent to the stranger hunting for anhydrous. It did not take long and she was family and loved by all.
Faith was a massive dog. She was very strong and highly aggressive toward any threat. Her favorite pass-time was to go out and pick fights with packs of coyotes. She only feared two things, ever since my cousin Tim shot her with his shotgun for coming on to his farm and picking a fight with his dog she has been terrified of guns- and understandably thunder. The majority of the year the grandparents and my brother were isolated away from people. This became fertile ground to building deep bonds between all on the farm. Faith loved them all very deeply.
After many years went by, my grandparents needed to move into town as they were getting up in age. My father's work on his book took him around the world and away from his farm and my brother needed to move to Wyoming for work. This left Faith alone on the farm.
We all grieved for Faith. Her needs were taken care of by family who continued to farm my grandparents farm but she was mostly alone. This arrangement has existed for nearly three years now. One of our concerns, as she was getting old, was that she would die alone. Being someone who loved a dog very deeply and being concerned about Faith I would actually pray for her. My dad admitted to praying for her regularly and knowing my grandparents, they certainly prayed for her. As the years rolled on and my grandparents aged they would visit the farm fewer and fewer times. One day recently my dad, being a discerning man, helped old Faith into his truck and drove to town. When they pulled up to the grandparents house they got out of the truck. Faith started to smell the ground and when she came near the house she began to jump around- clearly she smelled my grandparents. My dad tells me that my grandparents began to cry as Faith began to talk to them. My dad realized that this was an important moment for all involved. They all loved each other deeply.
Two Fridays ago, as I was working, I repeatedly thought about Faith and the day she would be dying. I prayed that she would not be alone. Early the next day my father called me to tell me that an old friend had passed- I could hear the grief in his voice. I strangely knew that he was telling me that Faith had passed even before he told me who it was.
On the Friday that she died my dad had just gotten back to his farm from being out of town. When he came into the driveway Faith met him and even before he could get out of his truck she jumped in and smothered him. Usually this is aggravating as one of Faith's favorite things to do is to find a rotting carcass and roll in it. However, this time, my dad had a vivid notion that this kind of greeting was soon to come to an end and he should give her as much sugar as long as she wanted it. When she was done dad went inside to get ready for a meeting with someone about some bulldozer work that we needed done; I believe his name was Mark. When my dad came out he and Faith walked over to my grandparents farm, nearly half a mile, where the meeting was to take place. Fellowshipping all the way dad admits that Faith gave no reason for concern- she seemed perfectly healthy. Soon Mark showed up and Faith greeted him with enthusiasm and friendliness as usual. Perhaps Faith knew that she did not need to warn anyone to be cautious as her size and intense eyes naturally provoked caution. Nevertheless, Faith was behaving as normal. After the greeting Faith went over to the truck to lie down, just a few feet away, while my dad and Mark talked. After a few minutes my dad glanced over to Faith and thought she looked a little strange. He called to her but she did not answer. Mark also remarked that she looked a little strange the way she was laying so they went over to her to find that she had just died.
I am so grateful that Faith did not die alone. I could not help but wonder why I had been thinking about Faith all day the day she died. In subsequent conversations I found out that grandma had a dream a week prior to Faith's death that was so troubling to her that she got up in the middle of the night to intercede in prayer for her. Grandma says that she wept all night long. When dad went to town to tell the grandparents that Faith had passed he said they wept as a loved family member had died.
God has given this world over to freewill. He does not impose Himself into affairs that He is not invited into. He, however, gave us prayer as a loophole to this law of freewill. Our prayer invites His all powerful imposition into situations that would otherwise be subject to chance, which allows His will to be done. We cannot presume that we know what His will is to be, but His will is always good and/or with purpose. I believe, as God would not have wanted faithful Faith to die alone, that He woke grandma up with a dream and moved her to prayer so that He could involve Himself into Faith's last day. God repeatedly reminded me of faithful Faith which moved me to prayer over the circumstances of her death because old Faith deserved to die well.
Faith was such a good girl. After all of that time alone she chose to stay on the farm and watch over it. She watched over the cats. She excitedly greeted the family when they came. She gave love. God, caring even about the sparrow that falls from the tree, cared very deeply for this faithful old girl who was so loved and who loved so. I am blessed and moved with emotion as I ponder these affairs. The conclusion that I come to with great thankfulness is that Faith, and God were Faithful to the end.
Bless You Lord Jesus.
