Article April 3, 2000 ISSUE

for kids

Every puppy has its place

By Sarah A. BRITTON

"MOM , Spalding needs a home. Can you help her?"

It was my grown son on the phone, telling me about his friend's eight-week-old puppy named Spalding. In her short life, she had already had two different homes. Now she needed another one—a permanent one.

Shortly after she was born, she lived in an animal shelter for several weeks, waiting for someone to adopt her. Then my son's friend met Spalding and wanted to keep her. The friend told my son that after bringing Spalding home, she found out that her apartment building didn't allow dogs. That's when my son called me.

I said I would do my best, but at first I was doubtful. Every-one I knew who loved dogs al-ready had one (or more!), and I couldn't think how to go about finding this one a home. The telephone calls I did make were discouraging.

When I couldn't find an im-mediate solution, I turned to God. I knew that even though Spalding could have been thought of as "only a puppy," she is in reality a cherished, valuable idea of God. She is entitled to the same goodness that every idea of God has. In fact, she already has all the good she needs. God gives all His creation health, intelligence, right activity—and a home! Every spiritual idea is already in its right place, because that place is safe in God's care.

Every one of God's ideas dwells safely in His love.

I did some research on what the Discoverer of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, says about place. In an explanation of a passage from the Gospel of John ("But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God"—John 1:12-13), she writes, "The apostle indicates no personal plan of a personal Jehovah, partial and finite; but the possibility of all finding their place in God's great love, the eternal heritage of the Elohim, His sons and daughters" (Miscellaneous Writings, p.182).

I liked what she had to say about "all finding their place in God's great love." I knew that what is true about God's love and care for His sons and daughters (you, me—everyone), is also true for animals. Mrs. Eddy also points out that God's plan for His ideas would never be partial, which can mean both incomplete and favoring one over another, or finite, which can mean limited. The promise is that every one of God's ideas dwells safely in His love.

After a few minutes of praying, I thought of a family I know with three young children—but no dog. When I got them on the phone, they said they were just on their way to a ski weekend, but they would think about adopting Spalding. They had their first meeting with Spalding as soon as they got back, and they thought she was just right for them. The owner (my son's friend) was sure they were the right people to have her. They became Spalding's new family.

God's great love had met the need of all involved: the puppy, my son's friend, and the puppy's new family. And mine, too. Spalding is now my next-door neighbor.

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