Appearances Can Be Deceiving

If you read yesterday's post, you became acquainted with Molly, our beloved dachsund.  Although I admit to a somewhat biased (!!!!) opinion, Molly is a beautiful dog.  She has quite a sparkling personality, and even as she is entering her senior years maintains a high energy level.  So I was quite surprised by a phone call from the vet this morning.

We dropped Molly off at the vet's office late yesterday afternoon for a teeth-cleaning procedure early this morning.  Prior to the cleaning, the vet did some blood work, which is standard procedure.  The results were not at all what he expected.  Prior to the blood work, he noticed some signs of dehydration.  The blood work revealed a pretty serious blood condition.  I'm relieved that this procedure was scheduled so that the unknown problem could be diagnosed, and I'm obviously concerned about Molly's health.  The vet assures me that the problem has been caught in time, that I should not worry, and that Molly will be fine.

I'm comforted by his assurances and looking forward to having Molly back home either tonight or tomorrow, depending on how well and how quickly she responds to the treatment.  At the same time, I'm concerned.  When a dog......or a person for that matter......shows no outward sign of a health issue, how are we who are responsible for their care supposed to know that there is a problem?  Molly eats well, gets appropriate amounts of exercise, has all her shots, sees the vet regularly, etc. etc. etc.  Yet in spite of doing all the right things and in spite of appearances to the contrary, there's a serious problem with our little doggie.

And that makes me think about how many people we see every day who, by all appearances, are just fine. And I'm not so much talking about physical condition, but about spiritual condition. They are doing all the right things. They may even be saying all the right things. They appear to be just fine.  But on the inside there is a serious, unseen problem. 

Reminds me of an old spiritual......"Everybody talkin' 'bout heaven ain't goin' there."

And that's a cause for concern. 

Something to think about.......