Minding My Own Tail

Have you ever heard of Happy Tail? Me either. At least not until our semi sweet chocolate lab came home from boarding with Happy Tail. They explained to me, it’s because Annie is so excited when anyone walks by her kennel; she wags her tail so fiercely that it beats up against the crate. This caused her to rub the fur off of a spot on the tip of her tail. Eventually, the skin broke open and it bled...... therefore she had been diagnosed with Happy Tail. 

It cleared up until she had to spend a little more time in her kennel recently. At first I didn’t even notice. Only wondering where all the blood on my walls was coming from. Once I realized it was that Happy Tail again, I wrapped it with gauze and some first aid tape. That lasted only until the doorbell rang and a guest arrived. Several rapid wags and the wrap went flying like a severed finger and the bleeding was all over the walls along with our guest’s pants. So embarrassing! But also poor Annie. It had to hurt. I knew it hurt because she would allow me to attend to it and mend it with little to no resistance. Almost as if asking for help. 

The hardest part is watching her smack that tail all over the place. When the garage door opens, she runs to the laundry room waiting for Jim to walk in the door. All the while beating the snot out of our dryer with her tail.  I try to calm her and tell her no but she won’t listen. She runs out of the laundry room hitting every wall and piece of furniture in her path. Talk about a bull in a china store. 

It’s so easy for me to see the problem and have a quick fix. “Stop it! Just stop beating your tail up against the wall Annie. Sheesh! Sit on your bottom and calm down. Then you won’t hurt yourself again.”  I wonder if anyone ever looks at me and thinks “ Gosh Connie, Just stop it! Here’s your problem. You know why you feel like garbage today? It’s because of all that Halloween candy you ate yesterday. Stop it!”

I have a tendency to do that in my marriage too. I see all the things my husband is or isn’t doing that I think he should. My first reaction is to just say “Stop it!” All the while swinging my own Happy Tail all over the place, causing damage to myself and our relationship. Truth be told, I need to mind my own tail and stop worrying about his and others so much. 

I was reminded of that again this week. I can’t fix or change my husband or anyone else for that matter. And you know what, my husband is a pretty great guy with some amazing strengths and godly wisdom. I need to focus on that and appreciate all the good in him instead of looking at the silly things that just don’t matter in the grander scheme of things. I’m also fairly confident there are a few things that Jim would love to see change in me.

 God has and is continuing to work in both of us. I’m so thankful He never gives up on us. I’m also ever so grateful that our Heavenly Father tends to our brokenness. He doesn’t put us in a cone of  shame and wag His finger at us, yelling “Stop It!”  He knows our struggles. But, it's so great when we go to Him, agreeing with what He already knows about us and our own Happy Tails, He forgives us. He attends to and mends our brokenness setting us back in step in perfect peace with Him. I love that! ❤️

Pressing On 

“Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.”

Psalms 34:5 NIV

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”

Isaiah 26:3 NIV

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

1 John 1:9 NIV