Pups of the Spirit

Pups of the Spirit calls out nine desirable human attributes identified in the Bible, in Galatians 5:22-23. These attributes include: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and gentleness and self-control. Illustrator Deborah Melmon carefully chose the breed of pup that best represents each attribute. For instance, Faithfulness is represented by the Dalmatian, generally associated with fire houses and the services available during emergencies. Without mentioning or illustrating a firehouse, the verses for Faithfulness include:

Frankie is Faithfulness, through and through;

You can count on this pup to stay right by your side.

The rhyme is imperfect, verse is slight and sometimes uses stereotypes. For example, a kind Kay knits gifts to give away, but text and illustrations show she often makes things that don’t fit and most receivers are too kind to say anything. This logic is disturbing, as it suggests kindness is given without attention to receiver and receiver is directed not to speak up against slight. This shows kindness being featured in an unhealthy way. Certainly a better kindness example could have been chosen.