It’s Valentine’s Day, and June and I have just returned from a pre-Valentine’s getaway to a local resort. I hope your day was blessed.

There was a big competition last week – not the Super Bowl, which Seattle won handily – but the 150th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, held in New York City. On February 3, World Magazine reported:

Historically, the breed most likely to walk away with the top award is the wire fox terrier, which has won 15 times—almost twice that of any other type of dog.

The wire fox terrier, who would know? Asta, in the 1930s detective comedy The Thin Man, was a wire fox terrier:

Skippy, the dog actor who plays Asta, apparently brushing up on his lines…

But no, this year’s winner was NOT a wire fox terrier. Meet Penny the dog, a Doberman:

I don’t even like Dobermans, but that is a magnificent dog. Chest out, ears up. “You can take my picture if you like.”

Penny weighs about four times as much as a wire fox terrier, who weights about four times as much as the average chihuahua. On the other hand, the St Bernard is twice as big as Penny!

Such variety!

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12.4 – 7 ESV)

And most people’s dogs will never even compete at a local dog show, must less win at Westminster. But they love them just the same. Most of us won’t win any prizes either…

And seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not. (Jeremiah 45.5, KJV)

…and God loves us:

John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 1.4 – 6, ESV, emphasis mine)

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2.4 – 7, ESV)

Wow. We ended on a Valentine’s Day theme!