The Love of God (and a Dog)

Life has been a struggle for my friend Trish since she was a little girl.

Shortly before her 6th birthday, she was diagnosed with Type 1 (juvenile) diabetes, drastically altering her childhood–especially as her parents didn’t cope well with the news.

So Trish learned to give herself daily insulin shots and always hide her tears because her mom’s family warned: ‘Don’t upset your mother!’

“My parents lost a daughter not long before I was born, and when I got diagnosed, they didn’t know how to handle it,” Trish explains.

Unfortunately, these early physical and emotional traumas were just the beginning. A cascade of struggles followed, beginning with a massive heart attack in her early 30s.

Rock bottom came soon after when her husband of 14 years left her and their young son.

“I felt like the earth was pulled out from underneath me,” she recalls. “I still loved him and I thought he loved me.”

A few years later as Trish tried to cope with cardiac issues and diabetes’ toll, she applied for a service dog, confident it was the Lord’s plan for her to have one–after all, she loved dogs and training them had once been a favorite job and pastime.

But the waiting lists were long and she never got a call.

Instead the ensuing years brought a litany of maladies, including a handful of mini-strokes; water on the brain requiring a shunt; damage to both retinas; neuropathy in her hands and feet; and small, benign brain tumors.

For three years, she and her son were in a homeless assistance program. Clinically depressed and with little resources, Trish started “self-injuring” as a coping mechanism for the pain and anger she felt.

Eventually, when she joined a Divorce Care group at an area church, the leader referred her to a clinical psychologist. As Trish met regularly for counseling, she was able to stop the self-cutting and the two women even became good friends.

“I didn’t have any big conversion–it was a gradual thing over many years ,” she explains. “I finally started  believing the Bible verse (Romans 8:28) that God will work all things together for good and all along the way He would give me little words of blessing.”

About three years ago–as she faced growing mobility issues– the biggest blessing came.

“I was listening to the song ‘Even If’ and I brought the idea of a service dog to the Lord again,” Trish says. “I was able to surrender it to Him–realizing even if He didn’t fulfill that desire, it would be okay.”

The very next day–many long years after she first applied–came the good news: A service animal was available. But the bad news arrived too: She needed $6,000.

Unable to work for several years, Trish had no way to get that kind of money.

So, as she explains,”God recruited a whole community” (including her psychologist) to donate on her behalf.

“I had no idea how many generous friends I have!”

A beautiful black lab named Adler came home with her in December 2023.

His service tasks include fetching a carton of juice from the fridge for Trish’s low blood sugar, bringing her sneakers and opening the front door so she can go outside in her motorized wheelchair. And if she needs something picked up off the floor, he’s especially helpful because bending over can easily cause her to fall.

Inside he loves to snuggle on her lap and outside he never leaves her side.

Nearing 60, Trish still faces a mountain of daily health issues, but emotionally and spiritually she has experienced an abundance of healing.

And the best part?

“The Lord showed His Agape (unconditional love) for me through Adler–that’s what my dog represents to me: God’s Agape.”
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Please open in your browser to hear Mercy Me sing”Even If,” the 2018 K-Love Fan Song of the Year, which also earned multiple GMA Dove Award nominations.