Praise the Lord for providing service animals to those who need it today! God is glorified in the animals he’s created.
See Matt and Julien's story here.
I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and I love dogs. Like, dogs are the best!
And since today launches Assistance Dog Week, I’ve got to share a special story about a most unusual canine. It all starts with Matt, who served in the Army for five years as a nuclear biological chemical specialist. Matt’s military service, though, was not without cost and sacrifice. He returned from two deployments in Iraq with muscular myopathy, a condition that progressively atrophies the muscles. They believe that Matt’s muscle disease is a result of toxic exposure when he was in Iraq. It’s hard for this Army veteran because he’s getting weaker.
Now, his physical disability is challenging enough, but it does not compare to his invisible disability of PTSD. In fact, Matt said, “Since coming back in 2008, I have a hard time finding joy in anything. War changed me. I’m not the same person.” His wife Kristi says that her husband returned home cold, withdrawn, closed off. He had no compassion. He was not the man she knew when he went off to the Middle East. Her husband went to war and came back broken. Even now when he drives his car around the community, he cannot drive without looking for roadside bombs. His fear had become overwhelming.
But then Matt and Kristi attended our Joni and Friends Warrior Getaway. It started Matt and Kristi on a path to healing, ’cause at our Warrior Getaways there’s lots of one-on-one counseling, networking with other wounded families, times in God’s Word, and lots of prayer. It’s helped Matt and Kristi more than you can imagine. Matt told us, he said, “There was a point in my life when I no longer wanted to be alive, but because of Warrior Getaway, I want to be here to be my wife’s husband and my kids’ father. I don’t want to think about where we’d be without Warrior Getaway.” Wow.
Matt also does not want to think about where he’d be without his service dog, Julien, a big, beautiful golden retriever. Julien is an Assistance Dog who specializes in sensing when Matt’s anxiety starts to increase due to his PTSD. Julien also knows nearly 50 commands, helping Matt with his mobility and picking up things for him. And no wonder this dog has become part of the family. And I must say, a lot of compassion transfers between Julien and his master. You see, recently, this golden retriever suffered from his own trauma – even at the Warrior Getaway, he did. Julien had a seizure. But it’s okay, it’s okay. Man and dog are healing together, and I guess that’s what touches me the most about this story. This extraordinary assistance dog is not merely serving, he is part of the healing process for Matt, Kristi, and the family, which, of course, includes this extraordinary dog.
In Psalm 104, it says, "Let the Lord be glad in his works." From that single Bible verse alone – and there are others – we can easily infer that God takes great pleasure, he’s glad about the animals he’s created – animals like Julien. ’Cause here’s a dog who is a steady companion, who sticks by his owner’s side to assure his safety and provide comfort. And for that and more, the Lord is glad. Hey, friend, you’ve got to see a wonderful video of Matt at our Warrior Getaway – Matt and his family and his amazing dog. And I vote Julien as the top Assistance Dog of the Week; thank the Lord that he’s provided such amazing animals to support our disabled American veterans. So, take a look at joniradio.org. Again, meet Matt and Julien, his dog, in this wonderful video at joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends