THINK BEFORE YOU ACT!

I had  phone call Thursday night of a sobbing grandson who lives with his wife and children in Salt Lake City.  He had just been to a training for a program he's hoping to be part of.  He was gone a short while.  When he came home, he found a 3-day eviction notice on the door of the home he has rented for over 3 years.  

As the story unfolded, apparently a neighbor called animal control about his 6 month old puppy.  The puppy, when he is let out to relieve himself, often refuses to come back in.  The family has gone through 3 leashes which the dog always manages to destroy.  

One of his neighbors who in the past has demonstrated a dislike for the dog, called the animal control and told them the dog was being abused and mistreated, being left out in the cold SLC weather (none of which is true, by the way.) 

Animal control called the rental agency (who also rents this neighbor's home to him).  The rental agency responded by giving an eviction order to my grandson and his family (dated that day and counting from that day, but delivered at 6:30 PM!)

So this neighbor who claimed to be worried about a dog being out in the winter cold set into motion a process that would end up with my 3 great-granddaughters being homeless outside in the winter snow!

Lots of prayers later, it looks like they can keep their home if they get rid of the dog.  This dog is an emotional support animal that helps my grandson deal with his severe clinical depression (for which he has been getting help for years.) He and his children are devastated, but if the only alternative is that or being homeless, the dog will go. What a traumatic event that need not have happened!

Sometimes, we rationalize that we are doing "the right thing" for the "right reason." In this case, the right thing would have been for the neighbor to talk to my grandson, express his concerns, and come up with a solution.  This neighbor who claimed to be "worried" about the dog was, in my opinion, just using that as an excuse for punishing a family whose dog he dislikes.  He obviously didn't stop and think of the end result of his action. 

Years ago on Sesame Street, they did a bit for children that went "If I stick this pin in this balloon and it pops . . . " and then it explored a series of possible consequences.  We adults need to do that! We don't think.  We lash out, sometimes on social media and sometimes in person, and create havoc and hatred with every word we spew.

THINK BEFORE YOU ACT! THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK! SPEAK BEFORE YOU VENT YOUR SPLEEN ON YOUR PHONE OR KEYBOARD.  THINK! ! ! Then read Matthew 22:39