Life's Fleas

 

I have an older German Shepherd Lab mix. She has the thick double coat. Its the time of year when fleas make their presence well known. It doesn't help that she is sensitive to flea bites. So on top of all the shedding she's been doing, she's been biting and tearing her coat out. Checking the cost of flea medications from the vet was frightening and out of reach. I had to find an alternate method. I took a trip down the rabbit hole otherwise known as the internet and found what looked to be a good method.

 After a good, deep scrubbing bath in a flea shampoo that claimed to be veterinarian recommended, I mixed up the ingredients the article gave. 4 ounces of warm water, 6 ounces of organic, unfiltered apple cider vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon of either pink Himalayan or sea salt. I used the pink. Pour into a spray bottle.  After she was dry,  I spritzed her down well. Avoiding her eyes and mouth I covered her well. The article said to do this weekly. I will admit that I gave her a second spritz a few hours later. I will now wait to see how well this works. I can already tell a difference.

You may be wondering why I am sharing this, other than to assist those who also have dogs battling fleas. Watching my dog and how this has eased her struggles, it had me thinking. We are somewhat like this dog, and the things we face in life are the fleas. We are going along, doing our best to have a good life but find ourselves struggling against life's irritations. Jealousy, envy, gossip, hate, bullies, depression, its a list that could go to near infinity. We want to be satisfied with what we have, thankful for what we have, but oh that new shiny toy. We want to go about our business, but that one that has to make life difficult. We want to be happy, but that feeling of loss, of abandonment, of anything less than happy drags us down. We scratch, we claw, we bite, fighting against the irritations.

The answer, the relief, is but a prayer away. God parted the sea so the Israelite could cross. He gave David the strength to swing the rock, He gave Moses the words to say, and the help of his brother Aaron. God will not take us out of the storms, but will give us the strength to endure and pass through. To have the Holy Spirit indwelling within and guiding our life, is all we need to help us against all the troubles we face.