“Dog. n. A subsidiary Deity designed to catch the overflow and surplus of the world’s worship… his master worked for the means wherewith to purchase the idle wag of the Solomonic tail, seasoned with a look of tolerant recognition.”
–Ambrose Bierce
“Rise from the dust, O Jerusalem. Sit in a place of honor. Remove the chains of slavery from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion.” Isaiah 52:2 NLT
I have not done it throughout his life, but recently I have made a point to take Famous’ dog collar off at night. Wearing it rarely seems to bother him, and it is necessary for the many outdoor walks we take. He even has a change of color for every season, just for a little variety! But even though it adds an extra step to our morning and evening routines, it just seems a little more dignified to let my companion dog enjoy several hours without this band of restraint and ownership about his neck.
It is hard to imagine actual chains around our necks, even if it was part of the slave culture in our nation’s history. But how many of us go through life encumbered and manipulated by the chains of guilt, fear, idolatry, and greed? God has always shown the way for his people to be free. And Christ has liberated us from everything and anything which would separate us from God — even mortal death.
Loose the chains that bind, and free me from the forces which seek to enslave me today, O God!
“My heart pounds in my chest. The terror of death assaults me. Fear and trembling overwhelm me, and I can’t stop shaking. Oh, that I had wings like a dove; then I would fly away and rest! I would fly far away to the quiet of the wilderness. Interlude. How quickly I would escape— far from this wild storm of hatred.” Psalm 55:4-8 NLT
Thunderstorms rolled through during the middle of the night. March is going “out like a lion” with shifting weather patterns, and last night produced a storm front which passed over in the wee hours of the morning. I did not hear the shaking booms that can hit in the late summer. Instead, this storm produced long and rolling rumbles accompanied by sudden flashes of light.
Famous heard them too. Perhaps he also saw the lightning and felt the rumble. Nonetheless, he felt someone (me) needed to know about it, and he commenced to barking loudly in the bedroom, the hallway, and the living room. I hoped it was only a bark of warning, but as the slow-moving storm continued he persisted. I suppose he was not going to be satisfied until I had checked it out, but even after assuring him everything was fine and trying to go back to bed, he would not be quieted.
Whether I was motivated more from wanting to comfort him or wanting to get back to sleep, I picked him up off of the floor, carried him and lifted him on the bed, and cuddled with him still panting heavily until we were both able to fall back asleep.
Where can we fly when we seem surrounded by unbeatable odds? When the diagnosis presents with no known cure, when the last parachute has been taken, or time has run out on all of our dreams, what can we do? Knowing the Lord, Our God, can rescue us provides the reassuring comfort others do not know.
Should life seem threatening in some way today, help me, my God, to understand Your power to shield and comfort me.
“Jesus replied, ‘My light will shine for you just a little longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going.'” John 12:35 NLT
We are finding it easier to walk in the light. The sun is now starting to overtake Daylight Savings Time which hid the morning rays for the past couple of weeks. Mind you, we really are not in danger of tripping over curbs or stepping in holes. The community is well lit at night, and only the moonless sky on a night when the power has gone out (which is seldom) could create such a danger. No, my biggest fears are cars exceeding the suggested community speed limit and drivers who do not anticipate the possibility of pedestrians on the road.
Jesus replied to his disciples with this challenge: take advantage of my presence while I am here. He understood in a few short days their lives would be thrown into darkness. We have the advantage of having the Living Presence of God with us at all times. Why is it then we keep stumbling as though we were blind?
Shine Your light all around me today as I journey.
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.” Matthew 13:44 NLT
It was the perfect morning to have coffee on the deck after breakfast. I knew Famous would enjoy a morsel of granola bar as a treat, so I carried the wrapped bar outside with me. Bright sunlight covered the deck in the morning, and birds were busy around us. Famous had to bark at four or five crows who were jabbering in the tops of the tall trees in the woods. But he was happy to get his few bites of “honey and oats”.
After barking at the crows he came back to investigate any remains of the granola treat, and I was curious to see what he would do with the wrapper he found laying on the bench beside me. He carefully lifted it off of the bench and sat down with it holding it between his paws. Rather that ripping it to shreds as he might with other discarded boxes, he gingerly tore it open in order to get out every last crumb of granola.
Just as he carefully nurtured his discovered treasure, we need to remember the great treasure which has been placed before us: the promise of eternal life. Once discovered, we should not bury it in the busyness of our lives, but we should honor it with the devotion and dedication which is worthy of such a prize.
Jesus, keep me mindful of this great gift, one to honor with my life today.
A man takes his Bulldog to the vet and says “My dog is cross-eyed. Is there anything you can do for him?”
The vet thinks for a few seconds and says, “Well, let’s have a look at him.” The vet picks the dog up while examining his eyes. At long last, he says, “I’m going to have to put him down.”
“What? Just because he is cross-eyed?”
“No, because he is really, really heavy.”
“Methuselah lived 969 years, and then he died.” Genesis 5:27 NLT
Today Famous turned 3263 days old. He has been in my life all of this time because I received pictures of him on the day he was born. I don’t know about you, but when I think of doing something more than a couple of thousand times, it seems pretty impressive. So rather than think of the almost nine years he has been a part of my life, I like to think of the 4,698,951 minutes we have shared!
Father, teach me to number my days and to think on the eternity to spend with You.
“The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.” Genesis 12:1 NLT
“Where are you going?!”
Often I cannot predict where Famous wants to go. He knows. He knows to follow his nose. The scents available to his large olfactory nerves are compensation for the smaller spectrum of light available to his eyes. But to see him zig-zag across the street, double back, and sometimes bee-line towards a shrub or tree can keep me on my guard. I have destinations in mind and an ultimate return to our home. But he goes where he wants unless I have to persuade him to alter his path.
I can only imagine, were He not omniscient, that God would ask of us, “Where are you going?” Do we not understand that He has chosen a path for us, a path of eternal life and delivery from sin? Why then do we follow our own desires, lusts, and greed?
In our devotional path through Lent, we need to listen to God’s voice. Only He can deliver us to the promise of eternal life which Easter will soon celebrate!
O God, help me to deny my weaknesses and follow Your direction today.
“Where are the dogs going?” you people who pay so little attention ask.
They are going about their business.
And they are very punctilious, without wallets, notes, and without briefcases.
Charles Baudelaire
(1821 – 1867, French poet)
“For people and animals share the same fate—both breathe and both must die.” Ecclesiastes 3:19 NLT
I have found an inverse proportion in my concern–fear, if you prefer–over the eventuality of death for Famous. When he was a puppy, I brought him into my life knowing inevitably he would one day leave it. This concerned me perhaps more than it should have. In some ways it seemed like a short-term investment with ultimate loss over profit. I found I could barely enjoy the sheer happiness he gave me without acknowledging at some level it would all have to end one day.
For the most part, I found relief in knowing he still had many years to live, many years where I could help him explore the world, and many years to have him by my side. Still, it seemed as though we were on a long road to a final good-bye.
But soon this quickly became the reason for sharing as much of myself as possible in what could never be enough years. I found that some moments transcended time and became tiny pinholes in the fabric of eternity. Even repetitive, routine tasks could easily take on a uniqueness of the shared moment. The burden was still there, but it had found purpose in responsibility, in the calling as his master.
Now that Famous is well into the second half of his life, and even as he has become more precious to me than I could have ever imagined, it is not his leaving that frightens me. That day will come, and there will be a cavernous void for sure. But as he becomes older, he is mostly more of a blessing, a reminder that age can be a great time for sweetness, familiarity, and love. I find I want to be with him less out of necessity and more out of curiosity, to see what lessons he wants to teach me about the journey through life.
Dear God, because of death, help me to celebrate life today.
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