The Lost Puppy
by Celene Melenciano
Good morning, boys and girls. I hope you guys are excited to be here. Happy Sabbath!
I have a question for you. How many of you have pets? Maybe you have a little dog at home, you know, a little cute puppy, or a big dog. Maybe you have a cat at home, you know, they like to purr and like to get petted. Maybe you don’t have either of these types of pets. Maybe you have a little bunny. A lot of people have bunnies. We had a bunny when we were growing up. You know, some people actually have pets that are not regular. You know, some people might have fish in a fish tank. Others might have lizards, maybe even a snake, you know. Some people have chickens for a pet. I had a chicken for a pet a long time ago, and I loved my chicken, and I took care of them all the time.
Some people, maybe that live on farms, they might have a cow for a pet, or a horse, or maybe a little lamb, you know? Mary had a little lamb. Well, you know, you can have all types of pets, and, well, pets that are allowed if you live in the city and pets that, of course, mom and dad have to say yes to for you to take care of because pets are a lot of work. Ricky had been wanting a puppy for so, so long, and his mom at first had said no because, you know, they are a lot of work, and I can’t be taking care of the puppy and you and your sister and everything else I have to do. But as Ricky got older, one day for his birthday, somebody gave him a little puppy. And he was so happy because mom and dad finally said yes, you could have a pet, and they gave him a little puppy. And Ricky took care of his puppy so much. He gave him food, gave him water, made sure that he was warm at night, gave him, you know, took him a little bath, made sure he was cleaned and had no fleas, all that stuff. He made sure, you know, mom and dad were aware that he needed to have his shots, you know, make sure that the puppy was okay.
With time, of course, the puppy grew, and he was no longer a puppy. He was a big dog now. And as a big dog, he started to roam different places, and one day he got out of the gate. For some reason, either somebody left the gate open or he managed to open the gate, the fence, and he got out of the gate. He ran off to the street, and Ricky was worried because he’s like oh my gosh, where’s my dog? I can’t find him, and he called his name and called his name, and he just couldn’t, you know, the dog wasn’t coming back home. So he asked his dad, dad, can you help me? I need to go find my dog, and I can’t find him. Can you go with me out to the street and look too? And so they did. They went to the streets and started calling and calling, and little by little, as they got closer to an area where they were making brand new houses, they started hearing a little bark, a very faint sound, a very faint bark, but they started hearing a bark, and they kept calling the dog and calling the dog, and the dog started barking a little bit, you know, louder and louder.
Finally, when they got to him, the dog was in the area where they were making the new homes, and he had fallen into a big pit, into a big hole in the ground, probably some type of a well or something like that, but he was down there and he couldn’t get out. And Ricky was so excited and happy to see him and so worried at the same time to make sure that he wasn’t, you know, hurt, that he jumped into the hole with his dog. So now, guess what? Now the dog and Ricky were both inside this big hole, and dad had to get them both out. Fortunately for them, there were some people in the neighborhood that heard what was going on and came to help dad, and they got him, they got Ricky and his dog out of the hole.
You know, when we love them, for them, it’s the same with their family, right? We love them, and we try to be the best with them as well, help them when they’re hurt or be with them when they’re sad, or, you know, just be with them and be the best people that we can because we love them, right? You know, it’s that same kind of love that’s the love that God gives us for everybody else around them.
Maybe you have a friend that is sad. Be with them. Tell them that you’re there for them. Give them a hug. Maybe that’s what they need. Listen to them. Sometimes they have things to say and nobody to say them to because they’re sad. So just go ahead and listen or play with somebody. Maybe your neighbor has nobody to play with. He’s a quiet little boy or girl, and they want to play with somebody. Play with them every now and then, of course, that’s with your parents’ permission. But make sure you show them that love that God gave us and play with them and talk to them. You know, maybe tell some stories and joke around. Same with the people out on the street. Sometimes you go to the supermarket, say good morning to the person next to you or good afternoon or smile at them. Just be nice to people.
Mom and dad, they love you so much that they’ll do anything for you. And just like they take care of you when you’re sick and through all these things that you’ve been through as a child, show them that you love them too. Maybe you can sit with them, give them a hug, just talk to them, just spend some time with them. It’s all the love that God has given you, and you can show it in so many, many ways. Just like Ricky showed it to his little puppy, when his puppy got lost, he went out there and found him. Same thing with everybody else. Give them that love, show them that love that God shows us every day, and be by their side and remind them that not only do you love them and care for them, but God does too.
Let’s say a prayer, okay? Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you so much because of all that love that you give us, Lord. It’s so big and so amazing, Lord, that we are able to share that love with the people around us, our family, our friends, even strangers, Lord. We pray that you help us be that light unto the world that shows how much you love all of us. Please be with these boys and girls this week and help them remember that your love is out there, not just for them, but for everybody else. In Jesus’ name, we pray, amen.
Bye, boys and girls. Have a wonderful week. We’ll see you next time.