Just Watch The Dog, Man!

The other day, a friend of mine asked me to babysit her dog for a few days while she attended an out of town conference. Now anyone that really knows me should realize that me and pets don't mix. This benign hostility I hold toward pets is strange given the fact that as a child growing up in New Jersey, we always had several dogs (all outside) that were part of our family. In fact, for some strange reason, my father appointed me as the official provider of food and water for the dogs. So, it would seem that I would LOVE pets, but that is not the case.

Anyway, my reluctance to care for her dog also highlights some lessons to learn about friendship.

• We cannot always pick HOW we are going to be a friend, sometimes we have to step out of our comfort zone to help someone in need.
• Friendship is not about convenience. In fact, inconvenience is a test of how committed you are to being a friend.
• Friendships should not be based on our first impulse. For me, when I was asked to babysit her dog, my first impulse was "No Way!".
• Following the example set by God, we should not only love each other, but we should be willing to go out of our way to demonstrate our love. Trust me, babysitting that "thing" that goes by the name of Miles is REALLY going out of my way!
• Being a true friend also means being willing to ask for help. I do not know how many people my friend asked to babysit Miles before or after she approached me, but I like to think that one reason she asked me is because she considers me her friend. When we are in need, being a friend means to trust our friends enough to ask for their help

So many lessons from being asked to watch a dog for a couple of days! Wanna guess what I decided to do?