We’ve been living with my in-laws for a little over a week. It has been great. My in-laws are generous, kind and hospitable. They are always going out of their way to make sure that we’re comfortable and settling in well. They’ve opened up their house to Alycia and me and have done everything they can do to make it feel like home.
Unfortunately Elphie is having a harder time adjusting.
Elphie is used to living in a one-bedroom apartment with free reign of the entire space. Now, though, she is gated off in our part of the house; she has as much space as she did before, but she’s limited in where she can go. I think she would be fine with her limited range if it weren’t for the reason why she’s sequestered: cats.
My in-laws have two cats and Elphie can’t handle it. Like an Ugg boot-wearing, pumpkin spice loving, scarf-wearing girl in October, Elphie can’t even. She freaks out when she sees the cats, she freaks out when she hears the cats and, when she’s had the opportunity, chases them all over the house. Quiet mornings and evenings have been broken by a cacophony of growls, hisses, barks and shrieks.
So I’ve been praying that Elhpie would calm down. I’ve been praying that she would get used to cats being in the house. I’ve been praying that she would stop whining and barking every time Alycia and I leave her alone.
I’ve been praying a lot for Elphie, which has made me feel kind of guilty.
I love Elphie as much as I can love an animal without a soul. She’s a good dog, she’s sweet and I’ve definitely been comforted by her furry snuggles when I’ve had a bad day. She’s great, but sometimes I feel like I should pray for each of the world’s 7 billion people before I pray for her.
I should pray for those affected by the recent earthquake in Afghanistan.
I should pray for acquaintances I see struggling on Facebook.
I should pray for all the people around the world who have never heard about Jesus.
There are a lot of people I should pray for and, if I tried praying for them, I’d never end up praying for Elphie. I care about those affected by natural disasters and for those who don’t know Jesus. I don’t always pray for them, though, because my immediate desire is to see my dog calm down and find some amount of equilibrium so we don’t have to send her to live with my sister.
I know that God cares about the things that we care about. I guess I’m just wrestling with whether or not I should care about my dog as much as I do, especially when there are so many people, who actually have souls, in need.
How do you reconcile praying for less significant issues in a world full of so much need?
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