Freddie was a big golden retriever who lived on a Caribbean island with his owners, Mr. and Mrs. Clay. Wherever Mrs. Clay went in the house or yard, Freddie was right beside her, and no one dared to come near. He barked and chased off cows, dogs or workmen who ventured into the yard.
Freddie was not always fierce. When Mr. and Mrs. Clay had guests, they told Freddie that these people had come to visit, and he accepted the guests as part of the family.
The years passed, and Freddie continued to be a brave and faithful friend, but just like humans, as Freddie got old, he began to have some health problems. Some days he was so weak that he hardly moved from his mat under the kitchen table.
Finally, Freddie was so sick and old that the Clays decided they would have the vet come put him to sleep. They didn’t like to see him suffer, and they knew he didn’t have a soul as a person does. But when the vet came, Mr. Clay changed his mind. He couldn’t part with Freddie yet.
Trouble in the Neighborhood
One Monday morning, Freddie was very weak and had to be helped even to get down the stairs. Mrs. Clay was so concerned about him that she really didn’t think about it when a neighbor told her that two strange men had been down at the corner looking up the hill at her house most of the day. People often waited at that corner for buses, so she didn’t think she needed to worry about it. However, the neighbor had lived in the area a long time and said she had never seen those men before. She warned Mrs. Clay that something didn’t seem right.
The neighbor left to go home, and Mrs. Clay got busy preparing dinner. She had heard Mr. Clay go over to the grove for oranges and knew that he would soon be coming in for dinner. Freddie was still lying under the table watching Mrs. Clay. As Mrs. Clay turned to glance at him, her eyes fell on something which startled her — the shadow of a man’s head on the open kitchen door. She softly called, “Dear, is that you?” But there was no reply. She moved quickly to close the door. She got the door almost closed, but as she frantically reached for the bolt, she realized that she was just a few seconds too late. A gun was pushed through the crack of the door and pointed at her head. She silently cried to her heavenly Father for help.
Gunshots
No one was nearby, but Mrs. Clay knew that God was watching over her and that He could save her from these wicked men if it were His will. As she stood there alone and helpless, the man suddenly lowered the gun, and a shot rang out! Mrs. Clay looked down in surprise, and then realized what had happened. Freddie, using all his remaining strength, had rushed out from under the table to attack the two intruders. Freddie lay dead at Mrs. Clay’s feet, shot through the neck.
Freddie’s bravery in giving his life to save his mistress gave Mrs. Clay the time to escape onto the high, balcony-type porch which ran along the whole length of the house. The gunmen followed her as she ran calling for help. She was doing her best to escape, trying to get to the end of the porch where it was not so high off the ground. If she could only jump over the railing at that point, she felt she would be safe.
However, Mrs. Clay’s thoughts were not God’s thoughts, and God knew what was best for her. As she looked back to see where the men were, she suddenly tripped and landed flat on the porch floor. Just as she fell, she saw Mr. Clay and one of the workers coming out of the grove in the jeep.
Mr. Clay had seen the men and realized that something was wrong. He was driving as fast as he could.
One of the gunmen shouted at Mrs. Clay not to get up. Her chest ached terribly from the fall, and she didn’t know if she could get up even if she tried. Mrs. Clay could do nothing to help herself, but she was thankful God was sending Mr. Clay to help her.
When the gunmen saw that Mr. Clay was on the way, one jumped over the railing and ran down the hill. The other one turned back into the house to see if he could find any money or valuables.
As Mr. Clay drove into the yard, Mrs. Clay managed to get up and over the railing, trying desperately to stop him from going into the house where she knew the gunman was. She was too late ... he did not see her.
Mr. Clay drove at top speed right up to the back gate. As he ran from the jeep up the walkway, the first thing he saw was the body of his faithful dog. He realized that Freddie was dead, but he did not know what had killed him. In his hurry to reach Mrs. Clay, he rushed on, not knowing the danger ahead. He loved his wife and was determined to save her.
Mr. Clay ran through the kitchen and down the hallway leading to the porch, but came to a sudden halt as the gunman stepped out of a doorway into the hall. There they faced each other — the gunman with the gun in one hand and a portable typewriter in the other, and Mr. Clay with no weapon, not even a stick. They stood looking at each other for several seconds. In those few seconds, Mr. Clay silently asked God to take over.
Without a word, the gunman suddenly dropped the typewriter, turned on his heel and ran to the porch. There he saw that workmen and neighbors had started to gather. He fired a warning shot into the porch wall as he climbed over the railing.
God’s Goodness
One of the workmen began to chase the gunman as he ran, but Mr. Clay called him back. He realized how good God was in preserving them all from serious harm. The body of Freddie, the brave dog, still lay in the doorway ... a solemn reminder of what could have happened to Mr. and Mrs. Clay and the workman.
Mr. Clay called together all those who had gathered in the yard. He asked them to bow their heads as he gave thanks to God for His goodness and protection. He reminded them that only God could bring about such a deliverance, and that if they were not born again, they were in danger of losing not only their lives but also their never-dying souls. “Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).
Wouldn’t you like to be a Christian? You would then be able to say, like Mr. and Mrs. Clay, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me” (Psalm 23:4).
Mrs. Clay needed immediate help. Every Second Counts shows others with desperate and immediate need.