Remember the darling little dog running the agility course at the Westminster Dog Show? Why did he capture our hearts? Was he just a darling little dog running an agility course at the largest dog show in the world, or did he unknowingly teach us one of the greatest life lessons ever? Winky the Bichon Frise is a heartwarming example of a little soul who simply loved his time in the spotlight. He preened, casually sauntered, and then waited at the top of the agility equipment for applause. And when that applause came he soaked it in. The course was run by serious and formidable dog competitors and the fastest time had been 40 seconds. However our hero Winky made it through at a blistering 100 seconds and in the process won the hearts of every underachieving person in the whole arena. He didn’t wow the crowd with cutting agility and incredible speed, Winky was a dismal failure if we measure him that way, but he wowed the crowd with his pure “joie de vivre.” He reminded us more than anyone else has in a long time to “find joy in the journey!”
The other competitors were there to win, and of course they trained hard for their best time. They had to strategize the course and go through with the least errors, but the “time to beat” meant nothing to Winky. He was there to enjoy the experience and definitely enjoy the applause! He reminded us that perfection is in the eye of the beholder, in fact he was so far from perfect that he made 92 errors!
We all come up short in our daily lives and sometimes that is the source for a great deal of discouragement, but I try to remember, God expects us to make mistakes. God knew we could have “92 errors” on a daily basis so he sent the Savior to be the difference for us. As Brad Wilcox often says, the Savior doesn’t make up the difference, He IS the difference!
Earth is our personal “agility course” with lots of obstacles, but our saving Grace is we have the Savior to love us, guide us and be there all the time if we keep our eye on Him.
So when you are scrolling through social media and discouragement creeps in because you compare your life to others, and your home doesn’t look like the staged ones on HGTV, or your family seems to come up short when compared to other families on Instagram and all you can manage is a late night run to Target after spending the day focusing on your “92 faults," remember Winky... the adorable little soul who reminded all us to simply enjoy life and be happy with our efforts... no matter how imperfect they might be!
#HappySunday
Watch Winky's full video in this fun piece ELLE Magazine here.
(Oh shoot.. I’m late for church and I didn’t iron my dress last night or put gas in my car... 🤣Oh well, walking is a beautiful thing… and at least I’m going! 😉)