Читать книгу Mustard Seeds - Melissa Levi - Страница 39

Groomer Assaulted, Emma the Terrible Banned from PetSmart

And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

Malachi 3:3

The smell of wet dog and shampoo tickled my nose as I waited my turn at the PetSmart groomers. I had brought Emma for a much needed nail trim. Emma hugged close to me. Her eyes were wide and her tiny body trembled. I cooed reassurances into her velvet ears. Finally, it was our turn.

I moved to the counter and handled over my little friend. She whined and leaned back toward me. I walked back to the corner with a guilty heart.

I no more than seated myself when I heard the familiar yipping of Emma. The groomer, an obvious rookie, tried to reassure the distrustful canine. However, Emma was having none of it. She twisted her body and swung her legs to get free of the young lady. This went on for several minutes and I soon noticed the entire waiting room was focused on the snarling, snapping five pound demon. Even the other groomers and pets seemed mesmerized by the scene playing out.

Having pity on the new recruit, a veteran of the doggie spa came to help. As the young lady held Emma, the experienced groomer grabbed a paw and gripped the nail with the clipper. The snap of the cuticle rang out in the waiting room.

Emma’s eyes bulged, revealing the white of her eyeballs. In a split second she became a whirl of fur and teeth, incensed by this infraction on her body. Emma was not going to let this go unpunished.

Realizing that the entire establishment had come to a halt and the windows became filled with curious spectators, the groomers turned away, their backs shielding the drama from prying eyes.

It was then that I heard the horrified squeal of the young groomer. I jumped up from my seat and rushed to the counter, fearing the worst for this young lady.

Surprise, disgust and anger was the only way to describe the look the groomer had on her face. I followed her gaze and saw what the cause of her outburst was. Emma had wet on her and her scrubs turned dark with the trail of urine.

Gasps from fellow groomers and well as the spectators rang out. Holding Emma at arm’s length the groomer handed her to me and asked us to leave. I stepped outside the enclosure and clipped on the pale pink lead.

I took the walk of shame past my fellow dog lovers following behind Emma, who bounced with great triumph across the parking lot to the waiting car.

Just like Emma, I am not too fond of being groomed. However, to be at our best for Christ, we have to endure the grooming to become better than we were.

God allows or withholds situations, illness, trials, and tribulations in order to groom us in our service to Him and others. Being groomed for service is sometimes a very unpleasant part of our lives. However, it is necessary to bring the best out of us to benefit those around us as well as ourselves. In order to grow and mature in our relationship with Christ, we need at times to endure terrible and heartbreaking circumstances.

Just like the silver smelter, God applies heat to our life to refine us. As the silver heats the slag or impurities come to the top and are skimmed off. Once all the impurities are removed, the smelter can see his reflection. That is what God is doing when he applies the heat to your life. He is working to remove the impurities and sin from your life so that His reflection can be seen in you.

What reflection is seen in your life?