BY WILLIAM G. JOHNSSON

ll around us, day by day, God is working out beautiful grace stories. Sometimes these stories happen right under our desk--like that of Mookie, in the Adventist Review office itself.

Merle Poirier, a whiz on the computer, works as technical projects director for the Adventist Review. She creates KidsView on her computer, along with caring for other duties. Merle isn't a dog person, nor is her husband, Tim, who is vice director for the Ellen G. White Estate office. But their younger daughter, Lisa, is, and for years she wanted a dog.

One day Merle chanced upon an ad in a local newspaper inviting volunteers to commit to training a dog that would help a blind person to expand their world. The Guiding Eyes for the Blind organization breeds puppies but looks for people who will give 12 months of their time to working with the dog, which they then turn back to the organization.

The ad piqued Merle's interest, even though she is allergic to dogs--all dogs. Strangely, Tim also didn't object to the possibility. They visited the organization and when they met Mookie, a male black Labrador retriever puppy, for the first time in her life Merle found a dog to which she wasn't allergic.

First Merle had to take a six-week course on how to train the puppy. Mookie would be always on a leash and would be taught not to bark, not to jump up on people, and not to eat his food or evacuate until he was told to do so. Incredible as it seems, he would learn obedience at such a level that he would eventually sit before a bowl of food, saliva running from the corners of his mouth, but not touch it until Merle gave him the word.

So 10-week-old Mookie came to the Poirier home. He is a very intelligent animal; even as a 10-week-old pup the organization valued him at $30,000. After he completes his training successfully, his price will be $45,000.

Mookie gave up all things that dogs normally do in order that one day he might guide a blind person to work, the grocery store, the bank, or the post office. And Merle gave herself to preparing Mookie for service.

But Mookie started serving long before his time was up, and in a manner totally unexpected. Sickness struck the Poirier home: Tim faced a series of surgeries, with many hours subsequently in recuperation. During those trying months, Merle told me with eyes misting over, Mookie helped bind the family together. He took their thoughts away from the worry, stress, and anxiety of the moment. And Tim, alone for long periods, found in Mookie a friend and companion, found a liking for dogs that he had never known before.

At age 10 months Mookie completed the first phase of his training. He received a jacket from the Guiding Eyes organization identifying him as a guide dog in training. Now his preparation was designed to orient him to the inside of buildings, and would boost his confidence and socialize him to new situations and sights--as he will need soon when he guides a blind person.

As I write, Mookie is working through this new phase. The process is gradual and slow. As part of it, Mookie is learning the General Conference headquarters, where the Adventist Review is located. He first practiced walking the sidewalks but not entering the building, then entering the building with no people present, then entering with few people, eventually entering during a normal working day. He comes to work and sits quietly underneath Merle's desk. He isn't petted and doesn't expect to be petted. He does not bark. He just sits and waits a word from Merle.

This, I think, is a beautiful story all around. It exemplifies kindness, compassion, faithful obedience, service.

Above all, it is grace in action. The essence of grace is giving without thought of return, giving unselfishly, giving because we love to give. When we act with grace, we reflect the life of Jesus, who on earth was "full of grace" (John 1:14), who gave and forgave freely. And this Jesus, our Savior and Lord, taught us: "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35, NIV).

Said the psalmist: "Everything he [God] does is suffused with grace" (Ps. 145:8, Message). Even so may our lives be also.