Homeward Bound

It was June 13, 2020, and Tony and I were out enjoying the day. We had taken Missy’s temperature that morning, and knew she should be delivering the puppies in the next 24 hours. We were getting hungry, and considered staying out longer to pick up something to eat. When Tony said, “Where would you like to stop?”, I knew immediately that we needed to go home. Sure, we needed to watch our spending. And yes, we had food available at home. Anyway, I didn’t know what I wanted to eat, and I wasn’t sure how far I was willing to ride, but it was more than that.

Moments before Tony popped the question, I could sense the Holy Spirit urging me to go home and check on Missy. My reply to Tony was simple. I said, “Let’s go home. We need to check on Missy. I would hate to stay out and she needs us.” So, homeward bound it was!

When we pulled in the driveway, I jumped out of the truck and ran to the house to check on the dog. I opened the door, and could see Missy frantically licking . . . a puppy! She had just delivered the first puppy unassisted, and was working to remove the sack. I alerted Tony, and we went to work helping her and witnessing the miracles of birth, nature and instinct unfold.

I share this story to encourage Believers to be sensitive to alerts from the Holy Spirit. When you feel a check in your spirit, or sense that you need to do (or stop doing) something, heed the warning. The warning is designed to steer you in the right direction (or away from the wrong one). The Holy Spirit may also be nudging you toward good and helpful thoughts or actions. Whatever the reason, when you sense His instruction, you must obey. John 16:13 says,

“But when He , the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.”

I am thankful for the Holy Spirit’s whisper to go home, and happy that we did not delay. What a privilege it was to receive the many blessings that act of obedience delivered! (pun intended)