WF Pride
Willingness and Desire to Sacrifice and Serve
Chad Cottingham
A guide dog’s life is one of service. And a boxer trained as a seeing-eye dog, belonging to an Atlanta man, committed the ultimate act of service by laying down his life for his family. The dog, named Simon, helped lead legally blind Dave Furukawa for four years, but died after a car accident in September 2013 where he helped protect his owner’s son, Will. Furukawa was walking his son to school when a car ran through a stop sign. The 80-pound dog pushed the child out of the way, but was hit by the vehicle himself. Furukawa was hit as well.
“What people have said is that Simon either got up or jumped out, and pushed my son out of the path of the car,” said Furukawa. Simon died with a broken leg and internal injuries as his family attempted to take him to the vet. “He sacrificed himself to make sure my son was OK,” Furukawa said, “His legacy will live on…forever.”
What an amazing dog! I’ve heard of things like this before, but have never seen such a thing. This dog’s willingness and desire to serve and ultimately sacrifice himself for his master is awe inspiring. Would you sacrifice your life for your spouse? Children? A co-worker? Would you sacrifice your life for a stranger? How you answer each of those questions says a lot about each of us. I would definitely sacrifice everything for my wife and children.
Sacrifice and service does not have to be an ultimate sacrifice. It’s the little things – the small acts of service and sacrifice on a daily basis that means so much to others – even strangers. We had a terrible snowstorm in Michigan yesterday – the worst of the year so far. A man spun out and went into the ditch right in front of my house. Four people stopped, including myself, to help a total stranger in need. This small act, by a handful of people – all strangers to each other – meant so much to the wayward driver.
Acts of service and sacrifice reveal what’s truly in our hearts. Are we thinking about others or ourselves? Are we helping those in need or are we driving right by the man in the ditch? Jesus Christ came into the world to serve. Mark 10:35 ‘For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.’ ~NLT
“Dear Lord and Heavenly Father, thank you for making the ultimate sacrifice for us. Thank you for showing us and teaching us how to truly serve others. Open our eyes to the opportunities around us each and every day to serve and sacrifice for others. It’s in Jesus name I pray, Amen.”