Cone | Blessed to be Broken

Too Soon

by Trish Cordell

I thought I’d drop a Moose update today. Unfortunately, he still has his cone on. I’m hoping for it to come off tomorrow.

Basically, I tried taking the cone off too early. I thought I could try the onesie again and the one small area that still needed to heal, he’d hopefully, leave alone.

This was not the case. So, I had to put the cone back on but not before he caused a few days set back.

In my defense, a scab had fallen off the neutered area, and I figured we were in the clear.

Moose was a champ about me putting the cone back on. Seems I was more antsy about him having it on than he was. Watching him try to scratch the cone over where it itched on his actual head was sad. I felt bad for him.

Now I feel worse for not waiting. But, isn’t that just like life? We want something so bad and we jump in before it’s time?

We don’t want to save the money for something we think we need so we get a credit card thinking that will solve our problem. In reality, it can make things much worse than had we waited to save the money. Paying an interest rate on top of the inflated cost of an item doesn’t make us rich, but it sure put money in someone’s pocket.

How about when we know God has put a dream in our hearts and we don’t wait for His timing but instead jump in before we’ve been properly prepared?

Usually what happens when we move prematurely instead of waiting for God, we don’t receive the full effect of what God has for us, we settle.

I can’t count the number of times I knew in my knower I was supposed to wait for what I thought I wanted, but instead plunged forward. Having to eat the fruit of those consequences is never easy.

Like Moose, the minutes he reveled in his cone-less freedom were no doubt amazing. He frolicked, rolled around, and scratched in areas he couldn’t reach when the cone was on. He even laid his little head on my chest. It was so adorable. He jumped down, and then he began licking. I attempted to make him stop. But, he wanted what he wanted. His wound wasn’t totally healed and now he’d have to pay the consequences of those few minutes of rebellion.

God has given us the Holy Spirit to warn us. You may call it a gut-feeling or intuition. Either way, when we ignore the internal “stop” sign, we’ll have consequences that follow.

The best thing to do when we know we’re headed down the wrong path is immediately change course. I don’t know about you, but I don’t always immediately change course.

I try to justify my way through it far longer than I should. All that’s ever done is prevent the inevitable. In staying or doing anything longer than I know I should typically hurts others as well. It’s never my intent to hurt others, but all actions have consequences. Oy vey!

I’m ever learning that God’s timing truly is perfect even if I don’t understand the reasons I have to wait. But isn’t that where trust and faith come into play?

I’ll leave you with that question to chew on. Here’s an updated picture of Moose, content to be right where he was; in my lap, soaking up the sun, cone and all.

We can learn a lot from our furry friends.

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Cone of Shame

by Trish Cordell

I had to take Moose to have his neutered area checked today. It didn’t look right to me. In addition to it looking red, I was having trouble getting him to quit licking the wound.

First I tried the cone I was given. He freaked out. Like a ninja swatting at spider webs kind of freak out. So I found the only onesie in my house. It was way too big. But, it would have to do for the night until I could get to the store and buy him one.

I got one that fit, but he kept licking the onesie. Seriously? I tried soothingly coaxing with my best, no, don’t do that voice, to no avail. I tried using a stern voice. Nope. He was having none of it. He wanted what he wanted and he wanted to lick. Well, don’t say I didn’t try, Moose.

It was time to put the dreaded cone of shame on him. I was prepared to love him through it, but he was fine with it this time. Go figure.

But, the cone was a bit too small. I tried to make it work, but I finally had to call the vet because I can’t watch him 24/7 and he was still doing what he wanted; getting to that “forbidden” area as much as he possibly could.

And let me tell you, that dog is lightning fast when it comes to licking. Just ask my face and ear holes. Nothing like having a dog’s tongue go up your nose. Ewww.

Moose doesn’t understand why he can’t do what comes naturally to him by licking a wound. He wants to do what he thinks will make it better. Instead, it will make things worse for him. It’s up to me to make sure he heeds what’s best for him in the long run. I don’t like the cone either, but it’s better than the alternative.

I think it’s funny it’s called the “cone of shame”. He didn’t do anything bad to deserve the wearing of the cone. He just needs it for protection against infection. That rhymed. HA!

Did you know we have a “cone” of protection? It’s called the Bible. God made sure to give us His protection by giving us exactly what we needed.

For those that don’t know God, they see the Bible as something that stops them from having fun the way they want.

Instead, it’s the longest love letter ever written just for you so you know how to navigate this ever changing crazy world.

When we don’t heed to what He’s warned us about not to do, guess what? We do all the things that cause us to be infected and overtaken by sin.

That’s where the cone of shame comes in. Have you ever done something wrong, knew it was wrong, then felt convicted of it? How did it make you feel?

Guilty? Shameful? Sad? Disgusted? Maybe it’s all of those things plus a few others.

I grew up in the Catholic religion. Talk about a lot of dos and don’ts. I remember going into the confessional and having to confess my wrong doings to a priest. I never felt comfortable doing that. But it was part of being a “good” Catholic.

I always felt shameful walking in the confessional as a child. There was always someone in the church watching you walk in and out of it. For all I know, they timed how long I was in there, too.

I didn’t feel any better coming out of the booth with my litany of prayers to recite for penance. It was like slapping a heavy chain on my wrong doings. Then I had to walk up the miles long church aisle to the hard wooden pew.

Confession. I don’t think I ever said the amount of prayers I was given. Another confession. I lied to the priest. Gasp! Wait, one more. I was surly with the priest. I know, right? How I made it out of the church without my pants catching on fire is beyond me. You know, liar, liar, pants on fire?

Imagine if that’s how I felt about that part of the catholic religion, how I felt about God! Is it any wonder, I would throw my protective cone off and run nilly willy in the opposite direction?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m in no way blaming a religion for my choices. But, it did factor into some of my wayward decision making.

After years of letting sin run my life, I wanted out. The world and what it had to offer was too much, too heavy, and too pained for me. But God! My plan collided with His and He lifted me up.

Imagine my surprise when instead running into a hard hearted God I ran smack into a loving, protective Father. Instead of a litany list of prayers for penance, He simply said, “You’re forgiven.” Instead of a leather belt whipping task master, I found a Father who only wanted to scoop me up, soothe all my wounds, heal my heart, and restore what’s been stolen.

Moose may not like his cone, but as his protector it’s my job to see he’s well loved.

Jesus as my Protector, wants me to know how loved I am.

As I look back on my life, He’s in every single place. He gave me a choice on which way to go. And even though I’ve chosen the worst path, countless times, He’s still, right there, ready to turn those ashes into something beautiful.

Why would He do that? It’s the same reason He suffered at the hands of accusers and died a sinners death on a cross. Love. He did it for LOVE.

He did it for me. He did if for you. He did it for ALL. I don’t know what type of “cone” you may be wearing, but, Jesus has a crown with your name on it. It’s your choice, cone or crown. Just another example of the love He has for you. You get to choose.

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