my chief blessing

One year ago today I received one of the best blessings in my life. Chief, my chihuahua. But what many of my friends and those who have seen this terrified little dog don’t know, is that this has been a desire for a very, very long time.

I can’t pinpoint how many years I’ve wanted a chihuahua specifically, but I know it dates back to my pre-high school era. I had at least three chihuahua themed posters on my wall. I believe it was around this time I did get my very first dog, Maxy. Maxy was a mixed breed that would have been a stray as the owner didn’t care much for the mother let alone the puppies she just had. She looked like a mini German Sheppard, but like Chief, she was terrified of everything. I had Maxy for a few years and sometime after we moved, we gave her away to someone that I thought could take better care of her, as I was having a hard time juggling high school and working a part time job. Not long after we gave her away, she got loose from her new owner and that was the last we ever saw of her. I felt bad about that whole incident, and from time to time I’d miss her and miss having a dog. That was back maybe around 2001? I even made a chihuahua from clay during my art class that people swore was real.

It had been 12 years that my family and I flirted with the idea of getting another dog. We weighed the benefits of having an alarm system for my mother when she’s home alone and can’t hear when someone is around the house, or just a fluffy companion for me to play with. I’m still a kid at heart, really. Whether I went on pet store runs just to admire the puppies or adoption websites to look for options, I’d always turn to the chihuahuas first. I started looking at other breeds as I learned how expensive chis tend to be. It got to the point that I just wanted any dog, but preferably a small sized, cute one. I began regretting not cherishing Maxy enough. I missed having a furry companion and the unconditional love. The warm excited greeting anytime I’d come home. And to think, before I even got Maxy, I had been terrified of dogs since I was a wee child! Friends started to tell me to just put some money aside and save for a dog or maybe finance one. Yes, you can finance your puppy if you don’t have $1K to drop on the day of sale.

I kept pushing the idea of getting a dog on the back burner of “things that would make me happy” until one evening at church, I overheard a friend of the family discussing how she just got a dog but would have to get rid of it or risk getting evicted. I approached her a little later and inquired further, just to get information, and she was so excited that I was even interested that she practically said I could have him before I had even seen him. To find out that he was a full bred chihuahua was the huge bow on top of the deal. She was giving him to me, for free, with food and toys and shampoo. Later that night she sent me a text of what he looked like and I went off to the store to buy him a crate. I picked him up 2 days later. Thank you Ebony Lockhart. You don’t know how awesome of a person you are and how much that blessed me.

#1 Chief Rocka

I never got the official papers on Chief, so I never learned what his exact birthday is. But he was almost a year old by then, so I decided I’d celebrate his birthday on March 30th, the day he came to live with me and my family. I know some new owners change the name of pets they adopt but I chose to keep it and it gave me the incentive to buy him camo-themed toys and clothes.

The main reason I want to share this story is that it’s an example of how God will give us the desires of our heart. He doesn’t just want to supply our every need, but the things we’d really like to have that bring us happiness. I’d been really getting into listening to other preachers and their podcasts, getting into studying and reading daily devotionals… basically getting closer to God. I honestly believe that through my diligence in getting closer to Him, He rewarded me with a blessing I had been wanting for most of my life.

Every time I look into Chief’s big eyes, I’m reminded that God wants what’s best for me, that God has made me promises that He intends to keep and I’m not forgotten. Over the past year, I sometimes get discouraged and worried about things I’ve prayed for and ask for yet I might get close to it, or maybe not see any change at all, and I’m wondering when if ever will I get an answer. But then I look down at Chief and I remember. I may start to get jealous or envy the success or achievements of others… but then I look at Chief and I remember. At least once a day, everyday that I see Chief, I will make a point to cherish him, because he is a gift, and he is a reminder that God is awesome.

Matthew 6:33