Blog – 3-2-16 Waylon and his Woobie
Waylon the rock star!
Waylon Jennings is a labradoodle that we adopted from the Siouxland Humane Society. I have been on the board of the Siouxland Humane Society for over 20 years, and rescuing animals is a huge passion of mine. Dogs that are rescued know it and show you their love and appreciation the rest of their lives. Waylon has a heart of gold and has been a wonderful addition to our family. He joins his older brother, Willie Nelson, who also came from the Humane Society. I know I’m the mom, but come on, aren’t they adorable!
Willie and Waylon
Waylon has a special toy that we call his “Woobie.” If you’ve seen the movie “Mr. Mom” you know where we got the name. When we bought the toy for Waylon, we had no idea how attached he would get to it. The first one we purchased he ended up “loving” a little too much, and within six months he chewed off first one ear, then the tail, then the other ear, etc., until there was nothing left. Luckily the store had other toys that were exactly like it, so we actually purchased three of them “just in case.” He was instantly attached, and his new toy became like a security blanket for him.
Waylon and the now famous “Woobie”
The funny thing is, Waylon has had the same Woobie now for over two years, and he hasn’t chewed it at all. His Woobie is never very far away from him, and as you can see from the picture, he often sleeps with it underneath his head. When he comes in the house from outside, the first thing he does is find it and make sure it’s right where he left it. He searches for it with great excitement, as if it’s the most important thing in the world. If I come home from being gone for a while, he always greets me at the door with his Woobie in his mouth as if to say, “Look, Mom, isn’t he wonderful!” I pat Waylon’s sweet little head and say, “Oh, isn’t that a nice Woobie.” I’ve had a lot of dogs in my lifetime, but I have never had a dog who has loved a toy so much.
It hit me this week that Waylon is actually a good example of what our faith should look like. He keeps his Woobie close, just like we need to keep Jesus close. James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” Waylon’s devotion to his Woobie is a beautiful picture of what our devotion should be to our Savior. His Woobie is never far away, just like our faith should never be far away from us.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could get as excited about God as he does about his silly little toy! Truth is, God IS the most important thing in the world! What if we would run to our Bibles and to our faith the way Waylon runs to his Woobie. The thought of it makes me smile. Some days it’s easy to feel that excitement because God answers a prayer in a mighty way or something amazing happens that can only be God at work.
Too often, however, we don’t get as excited as we should about all that God has done for us. It’s easy to take things for granted, but dogs never do. My dogs get to the same level of excitement every single day at mealtime. It’s as if they’ve never eaten before. Their tails start wagging and their bodies start shaking as I give them that exciting bowl of dry, boring dog food. Doesn’t sound very appetizing to us, but it’s a feast to them. And the best part is, they never stop showing their appreciation.
Waylon has the right idea…we all need a Woobie. Our Woobie needs to be God!
Keep your Woobie close to you and life will go well.
Search for it and get excited about getting into His Word when you’ve been away from it, and life is sure to go much smoother.
Never ever let your Woobie be stolen or taken from you!
Dog spelled backwards, as you know, is God, and I am thankful for the lessons I’ve learned from my four-legged friends.
Hugs and love,
~Jill