Praying for Angels
We had a house guest up until Sunday lunchtime a week ago.
His name was Teddy, and he was a two year old Corgi. On the Sunday before Teddy’s unexpected arrival I prayed for the first time in over 35 years. I prayed for guidance, for help, for a sign, and for Jesus to show me what to do.
That evening a friend sent an e-mail in which there was an image of an angel along with a short headline that said “When You’re Down to Nothing, God’s up to Something. Worry looks around, sorry looks back, Faith looks up …”
Teddy arrived on the Tuesday evening and he was a … welcome distraction.
I walked him, scooped his poop, fed him, played with him, walked him some more, laughed at his antics, scolded him when he was up to no good, and I found myself smitten.
Teddy became my shadow: when I went downstairs to hang laundry, Teddy had to come too. When I went out to take out trash or recycling, Teddy was sitting by the front door waiting for me when I got back.
He barked when there was activity outside, and he barked when anyone knocked on the door.
We went out and about. We had adventures. He peed on trees and lamp posts and sniffed around here and there, and I got more fresh air than I’ve had in months.
Saying goodbye to him was difficult—perhaps harder than I’d thought it would be.
In no short order he become part of our family just by being lovable. In essence, he’d created a powerful bond, just by being himself.
And that’s my marketing point for this post. When you are just you, when you offer support and affection (or a service, or a product—you get the idea), and when you expect nothing in return—as Teddy did—THAT’s when you create the bond of respect, admiration, and affection that drives loyalty. 
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