“He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”  Mathew 9:37-38  NLT

I would wager Famous does not have difficulty finding his purpose. I mean, he is a dog, and he does it very nicely. He knows he is to watch the house while I am away. And although it would be nice, he is not confused into thinking he is supposed to clean the house too. (And in case some of you sense a bit of disappointment, I will quickly say I am delighted that he can be trusted to not destroy the house while I am gone.)

However, some of us go around wondering if we are doing what we were meant to do, if we are in the right relationship, or what is life going to demand of us as we move through the years ahead. I have concluded these questions are less bothersome as we age, even if the answers are just as unclear.

But regardless of our age or circumstance, whether we are married, dating, or single, or whether we are confident in life or struggling to get by, there is a huge reason for purposeful living each and everyday: being the person God has created and using our gifts and talents to pray and to go. We pray that everyone find fulfillment by being the creature God has intended. This will lead us into the fields and enable others to follow.

Father, forgive me for only see my purpose through my own eyes and desires. Help me to open my heart to your guidance. 

“Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness.”  Matthew 9:35  NLT

More so than Famous, when we walk through a park or down a sidewalk, I am watching for people who might cross our path. First and foremost, I am making sure he is safe, particularly from dogs that might not be socialized, but also from people on bicycles or skateboards, and anyone who might act unpredictably. I walk as if I am his bodyguard.

Secondly, I am aware we could pose a risk to someone else, for example if his leash transversed the path of a bicyclist. I have never seen him exhibit aggressive behavior toward dogs or people during our excursions. In fact, he is an aggressive pacifist if there is such a thing.

But thirdly, I am actively looking for opportunities where I can help him share his goodness, sweetness, and joy. People want to reach out to him, to touch his soft ears, or to willingly indulge him in a belly rub. I am convinced he has lifted many a fowl mood.

This is his nature, helping healing to happen in the moment. Jesus walked with healing in his wake, helping all to see God’s goodness and mercy.

By your power, Lord, enable me to bring healing rather than hurt, wholeness rather than division, and joy rather than sorrow.

“So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart.”  Philippians 1:7  NLT

June is special for it is the month in which Famous and I first met. He was born on a farm in northern Virginia, and I can imagine it would have been an excellent place where he could have spent his years. He would have shared those years with other springers and their trainers as well as the horses and land that would have made him a right happy southern dog.

Someone asked me today if I had other dogs, and I admitted Famous was my one and only pet. This has always been the nature of our relationship. He would be my companion, and I would be his friend. Our devotion is not divided, and I am happy when our anniversary arrives and I can say we have made another good year of it together.

No one else knows him as well as I do. I know his routine, his expectations, his pleasures, and his irritants. But I could spend every second of the day with him, and I would still not understand him anywhere near as well as God understands me. Just as Paul had a special place in his heart for the church at Philippi, so Famous, because he encourages me to serve the Lord, has a special place in mine.

Lord, your constant reminders of your love for me only help me to love You and serve You more.

“Get up, for it is your duty to tell us how to proceed in setting things straight. We are behind you, so be strong and take action.”  Ezra 10:4  NLT

Discipline is an integral component of the responsibility of owning a pet. I could cite many reasons, but like most of us, our pets need order in their lives. Discipline helps to establish relational boundaries, expectations, and responses. If this duty is done well at the beginning of the relationship, it will provide satisfaction for both companions throughout a dog’s life.

One of the proofs of a well-trained dog is not how he behaves with his master, but how he behaves around strangers and guests. Famous is great when he says hello to neighbors or strangers on the street. But the guest in our home has to endure nearly two minutes of “greeting” with jumps and friendly sniffs unless I am diligent to give him specific commands. He notices instantly when my attention is directed at our “intruder” instead of him. So he is poorly disciplined in this regard,  but his friendly temperament could not be better displayed.

Often we try to display our best piety and sincerity when we are aware of God’s presence. But how do we act each day when He brings guests and strangers into our lives? Are we quick to judge them before discovering God’s Spirit that may abide in them? God has demonstrated how we are to walk this earth–in the footsteps of Jesus.

Christ, thank you for showing me how to greet your world!

 

“Wherever he went—in villages, cities, or the countryside—they brought the sick out to the marketplaces. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed.”  Mark 6:56  NLT

Touch. It is one of the best parts of the relationship between humans and canines. Somewhere in our distant past wild dogs found benefit from staying close to human fires and the leftovers from the hunt. Once they accepted food right from the hand, I imagine it was not long before a pat on the head followed. That touch became the bond which would lead to domestication and the joy of keeping a pet.

When the night is still and Famous is ready to call it a day, he will often settle on or beside my leg or foot in the comfort of my presence. But I can get just as much comfort from stroking his back or rubbing his belly.

Touch. It can be powerful. Even the knowledge or memory of touch can bring health. Even the fringe of Jesus’ robe can grant peace.

Help me today, Christ, to not withhold your compassionate healing touch.

“Solomon’s living quarters surrounded a courtyard behind this hall, and they were constructed the same way.”  I Kings 7:8a  NLT

They say a man’s home is his castle. Well, in my house Famous is the king. Right now as he rests on top of my foot, I hope he is thinking how good he has it! How lucky would any of us be to be waited on hand and foot for free! He has a personal groomer, chef, and masseur, all in me. I suppose minus the concubines Famous lives a life equal to that of King Solomon.

Outside of our “palace” I have created a small garden courtyard. We hold court there every morning and evening as we water the flowers and greet the birds, butterflies, and squirrels that may come to watch. Famous will often sit on his throne on the grassy hill where he surveys his kingdom. This is where he seems to be the most satisfied.

God poured his blessings upon Israel through King Solomon for building the Temple in Jerusalem. For generations to follow, this became the place where they would encounter God. But we know God is not confined to a building or a structure. He is with us everyday wherever we go. He sits enthroned in our hearts.

O God, purify my heart. Cleanse me from sin and dwell within me.

“Using acacia wood, construct a square altar 7 feet wide, 7 feet long, and 4 feet high.  Make horns for each of its four corners so that the horns and altar are all one piece. Overlay the altar with bronze.  Make ash buckets, shovels, basins, meat forks, and firepans, all of bronze.  Make a bronze grating for it, and attach four bronze rings at its four corners.  Install the grating halfway down the side of the altar, under the ledge.  For carrying the altar, make poles from acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze.  Insert the poles through the rings on the two sides of the altar.  The altar must be hollow, made from planks. Build it just as you were shown on the mountain.”  Exodus 27:1-8  NLT

When Famous was ready for a larger crate than the one in which he came home with me, I purchased what seemed to be the best at the pet store. It was so large that it could only sit in the back of my SUV if I turned it sideways. It had two side doors plus a sort of “trap” door on the top. It had handles and wheels and best of all, it could collapse upon itself for storage. Assembling this great container took a while as the foreign-made contraption only came with picture diagrams for instructions. Some of the latches holding the walls together were plastic and did not hold up during the construction. Nonetheless, I finally had it ready for Famous.

It was to be his roomier “prison” while I was out of the house. I learned very quickly, however, that he would end up being much happier outside of any cage if he had to stay in the house alone. I tried to use the crate for a week or two, but ultimately donated it to charity. In the long run, it became the end to any house crating for Famous.

The container for the tablets given to Moses from God was the Ark of the Covenant. Specific details for its construction are recorded in Exodus. This would be a holy relic and would symbolize God’s presence among his people. But God made even greater vessels for his Spirit. We have been designated as temples for the Holy Spirit, designed and created with great care. In addition, we are no longer imprisoned by the pharisaical laws, but liberated by Christ from sin and death.

Christ, help me to order my steps today in accordance with the new life You give free from enslavement, imprisonment, and entombment. 

“Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.” Colossians 4:2 NLT

I find such joy in Famous because he directs my thoughts to God. I am sure this is God’s intent for all such blessings. Famous has the habit of going to bed with me, but he is hampered by the height of the bed. So as I am about to turn off the light and turn in, I find him beside the bed with his front paws on top of the mattress as if he is saying his prayers. I know he is merely waiting for me to do my part to lift him up. Yet, in this simple gesture he reminds me to pray to my Father who waits to lift me up from the weight of the world.

Prayer should be a continuous conversation with God, a discipline which always reunites us with the Creator.

Enable me to turn to You, God, in prayer throughout the day with eagerness and thanksgiving.

“God knows people’s hearts, and he confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us.”  Acts 15:8  NLT

Spiritual disciplines are methods for keeping us close to God. They are not rules. In the days of the New Testament, believers began questioning the standard for who could legitimately say they were followers of Christ. Were Gentiles to be the first second-class Christians if they did not accept circumcision?

It does work that way in the American Kennel Club, so to speak. Dogs and bitches must be able to reproduce, to pass their genetics to progeny, if they are to remain eligible for show competition. Otherwise, they are out of the club!

But God does not require us to jump through hoops. We are not commanded to read the Bible everyday, to say a prayer before each and every meal, or to attend a church service every week. All of these things are practices which can bring us closer to God, but they do not make us Christians. And I do not propose we should do these things and others out of habit, although the consistent practitioner will definitely find it easier to encounter God. God does require our hearts to remain open to him and his guidance. Otherwise, perhaps we will no longer be “in the club.”

Look into my heart today, God, and purify me so that You may abide there, and I may rejoice!

“Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.”  Philippians 2:4  NLT

I believe one of the greatest potential benefits in caring for a pet, whether you are a child or an adult, is practicing the art of nurturing another living creature. I have led a busy life as an adult, and I have joked that I have progressed over the years from taking care of a “pet rock” to sustaining a green houseplant, then keeping a fish alive for several years. Finally, I had advanced to bringing a dog into my life. My focus quickly shifted from getting myself through the day to getting through my day to care for Famous.

In part, Famous became an answer to the loneliness that accompanied being a single adult finished with education and seeing many school friends move away over time. My work and activities filled my day, but without a family at home at the end of that day, my solitude became more foe than friend. But a certain joy arrived in the house with him, and I quickly associated that joy with God’s blessing.

When we see beyond our own selves, we can begin to see God’s mission for us. As I have learned to encounter God through the joy Famous brings, I have has also learned to maintain an open heart during my encounters with people throughout my day. Each meeting is an opportunity to give and receive the blessings of God.

Christ, You are the supreme model of selfless love. Help me to sacrifice more of self so that You can use me today in accomplishing your purposes.