A reminder that dreams come true

Facebook reminded me that seven years ago today I was walking across the Christmas market at the Munich airport with this little 10 week-old puppy in my arms. I still remember how I could barely carry him since he was such a big puppy and I was not used to carrying 10kgs around (yes he weighed 10kgs at 10 weeks). We had just picked him up from the breeder a week ago. As I have mentioned in earlier posts, I had dreamt of having a dog of my own ever since I can remember and that must be since I was four or five years old. Growing up, we always had neighbours with dogs who would come over but that only increased my wish and desire to have one of my own. Even though my parents made it very clear that they would not get us a dog it did not stop me from wishing every Christmas that I would wake up to the gift of a puppy.
All those years growing up I consoled myself that when I had a home of my own, the first thing that I would get is a dog. I grew up and life turned out very differently than what I had hoped or imagined it to be. I spent years working long and hard, climbing up the professional ladder from the very bottom, all just to pay off the debts that we had not made but “inherited”. And I was grateful that God saw the injustice of it all; He opened professional doors that I never thought I would go through; He brought people into my life who were amazing managers, mentors, friends and colleagues and He took me to places and countries I had never dreamt of going to. Along the way I gave up every dream that I had ever had except the dream of a dog, held onto it tightly and prayed that at least this dream would come true. And every Christmas I looked at the Christmas tree in the house and promised myself that the next year I would make sure that there was a puppy under the Christmas tree.
Seven years ago, this dream finally came true. I did not pick up my puppy for Christmas but twenty-one days before Christmas. Seven years ago I finally had my puppy under the Christmas tree although to be perfectly honest, he refused to sit under the Christmas tree 🙂
As I mentioned in an earlier post, Jaden turned out to be nothing like the puppy or dog I had hoped to have other than the fact that he is a golden retriever (but even here he is a cream golden and I had wanted a “golden” golden..). But Jaden is truly “God has heard” and He is also much more than what I had hoped to have. That I love him dearly is pretty obvious.
When I look at Jaden today lying next to the Christmas tree or horsing around it, I am reminded of God’s faithfulness and Goodness. I am reminded that God indeed sees all and that He rewards the faithful even in this life. I am reminded that He restores and heals; that He has a good plan and sometimes His plans are better than ours. And whenever I look at Jaden I reminded that some dreams do come true – even if they take longer than expected or hoped.