Wellie's Miracle

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Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”  After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.  Then they preached the word of God with boldness.  Acts 4:30-31^(NLT)

Wellie, the Shih Tzu wonder dog, came to us around his 6^th birthday in 2015. 

Before we began having him groomed he looked a lot like Gabby Hayes who co-starred in Western films with the likes of John Wayne and Hopalong Cassidy.

Wellie was as much a curmudgeon as Gabby; he was somewhat independent and surly; he would pounce on a toy and shake it like a rag doll, growling like a hungry bear!  A vocal little monster, if you were 30 seconds late with his dinner there would be no peace until the meal hit the floor.  But he could be playful and funny.

The night of August 9^th, just two months after welcoming this little mutt into our home, he went out with Gracie to do final business for the night; Gracie came back a few minutes later, but Wellie refused to come in.  For the next two hours we tried to coax the little man inside, but he wouldn’t budge.  Curmudgeon!

It was late and we fell asleep, awakening in the early morning hours to a thunderstorm.  Remembering Wellie, I stepped outside to find he’d moved the length of the yard, and was sitting in the middle of the lawn, drenched and shivering.  I called to him to come in, but he still didn’t respond, so I went to him and picked him up.  He was soaked like a mop and shivering.  And more, he was limp, not struggling.  After bundling him up and drying off his little body we discovered why he didn’t move; the little man’s two hind legs were paralyzed.  Our veterinarian confirmed it with an exam…there was no feeling, no movement; Wellie was now a paraplegic pooch.  To this day we still don’t know how it happened.  We suspect he jumped down once too often from a high spot in the house (which he often did), but there is no telling exactly what happened. 

Our vet had said only a small percentage of dogs recover from the extent of Wellie’s injuries.  Surgery was an option (not for our pocketbook), but with only a 20-30% possibility he would get better.  So, we got Mr. Wellie a set of wheels, and began to include the little man’s motor skills in our daily prayers.

Fast forward nearly two years.

It happened gradually, with no explanation as to why, but Wellie has begun walking.  The first time I saw it was when we were going out to do business.  The routine includes Wellie dragging himself through the open door to the waiting wheels.  But this time when I bent down to put him in his wheelchair, he was up on all fours!  He took a few steps, then plopped down. 

Over the past several months Little Man has become Super Man! 

His gait is not pretty or graceful; in fact his back end looks like he’s a little drunk when he walks or runs.  But he is walking and sometimes running!  And there are times Mrs. Preacher and I look at this little miracle and there is a definite sense of awe in the room!

For You Today

Your need for a miracle is something God always knows about…and His answer is on the way.  That answer may not arrive when you wanted it, or look like what you asked for – but it will be exactly what you need!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!

SeeWellie's Miracle (VIDEO)  (3 min 30 sec)

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[1] Title Image: Russell Brownworth (own work)