The Cone of Shame

 Recently, our Golden Retriever, Angel,hurt herself. Somehow, she ended up with a puncture on her neck. I noticed it because she was scratching her neck and there was blood on the floor. 

  I investigated and found a wound. "What happened girl that you have this hole here?" and looking at it closer, I said to her "you cannot be scratching this, or it will get infected." It was already looking pretty nasty. She had a compulsion to keep scratching so I decided that a trip to the farm store was in order.

Thankfully they had exactly what I had in mind. There, hanging on the wall was a large assortment of cone shaped covers that could be fitted around her neck. Here, I felt was the answer, to keep her from effectively scratching her neck. 

So, once I got back home, I went to her and put it on her. I can only imagine what she must have thought.

"What is this, and what did I do so wrong that you are punishing me?"

She looked sad immediately. And tried to take it off. I sat with her and spoke to her to calm her and at length explained to her that this was to help her. 

 Now, I must explain a couple of things. 

Angel is 7 and she is very attached to me. I do a lot of talking to her; we are Besties, and she trusts me. We bought her at 8 weeks old along with her sister, Anastasia. Angel is the more dominant of the two. But she knows she is not my boss, at least when it comes to obedience.

We do a lot together, we play ball 3 times a day, and she barks at anything that has trespassed into our yard.  She is a work dog, and she thinks it is her job to help me by reminding me to get up really early in the morning to let the chickens out for the day, and she always reminds me to put them to bed at night by standing in the doorway, staring me down while I am watching the nightly news on T.V. We are close. But this is the first time that I have had to do something that she totally didn't understand why I did it.

The next day, I took her to the vet for a consultation and an antibiotic. He gave me pills for her and a cream to clear up the rawness; and he pointed out a hot spot that had developed in that same spot, He also told me to take the cone off in a couple of days. I was happy to do that but as soon as I did, she went right back to scratching her neck.  I saw this and immediately said to her, "Noooo! You can't do that! No scratching Angel." And regretfully, I put the cone back on her.

For 3 weeks Angel had the "Cone of Shame" around her neck. I realized that she had no idea that this apparatus was EVER going to come off. I felt sorry for her, because she did not understand that what I had "done to her" was for her own good. She didn't know the things I knew. She only knew what she felt about her restricted new normal.

 During that time, there were a few adjustments I had make, namely lifting up her bowl with food so she could eat and also lift up her water bowl so she could drink. Helping her go through doors, holding that contraption up so she would not be stuck in the doorway. I would console her, and she seemed to understand that this was not to punish her. 

    About a week into her wearing it, I decided to take her outside to run around the yard and she seemed much happier. and surprisingly wanted to play.

 I threw the ball and she went after it. It was a bit harder for her to catch it, but she managed and brought it back to me. She had accepted her new normal.  And I was very happy about that!

Angel is not wearing that Cone of Shame any longer. Her hot spot and puncture wound are both healed. And she seems to love me even more these days. 

This whole situation brought a little bit of light to me. I think God used it to let me see a bit of how things happen with us too. In view of things and His loving care.

I have had things happen in my life that I didn't understand. And I thought "what is going on  Lord.?" 

I just didn't get it!

 I trusted Him and loved Him and then this! Why God, why would you do this, or let this happen? I would lament, "I don't understand!"

But at the same time, I felt God saying, "Trust me." 

 Twice in my life a certain painful occurrence came to me; a deep loss that I never expected, Becoming a widow twice was very hard. but it was my new normal. 

But Gods Word ministered to me about death of each of us. In Psalm 139 it speaks of all of our days are numbered and nothing I do or want will change that. I was a part of their lives but that didn't change how many days they were destined to have. I had to look at the good things in those days and believe they had their purpose even though I  couldn't understand and felt they were cut short.

I have found that God does orchestrate things in our lives that for some of us, we won't understand until we see him face to face. But trust has to override the questions.

But looking back at the many twists and turns and surprising events in my own life, I realize that nothing comes to me that God didn't know about. Or allow. It is so hard to accept the hard things as things from Gods loving hands. But knowing God IS love, I am convinced of that truth. 

There are reasons for hard things. Not always what we think. Not all things come to us for us to "learn a lesson" or to punish us. 

Most things come because of Gods protection and grace to grow us into the plans he has for us; to strengthen us as individuals and to grow us to trust Him even more.

So when I have something happen, that constricts my world in some way, or shuts a door that I was hoping would be open to me, I  will think of that Cone of Shame, and Angel, and take it from her to trust and know, as she does, that I am loved, more that I can imagine and Gods plans and purposes for me are so much more than the hard things I am going through. 

Faith building Bible verses:

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding, in all thy ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. Prov. 3:5-6

I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Romans 8:31

The Lord, the Lord, merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abounding in goodness and truth.

                                                                                                                                 Exodus 34:6

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living Psalm 27:13

There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.                                                                                                                           Proverbs 19:21

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