My earliest memories include a dog always being somewhere in the mix of things. When I was four years old, there was our loyal and protective mutt, Smokey. He once rescued me from a formidable flock of ruthless chickens who attacked me for tripping under a tree that happened to have a number of baby chicks close by.
I felt as though I had fallen into a fowl war zone as the dust and feathers flew around my confused and endangered head. Smokey was on the scene within moments, defeathering the dastardly plot of these evil chickens.
The rest of my childhood was highlighted by many more canine friends. My beloved Beagle tracked the wrong scent to the middle of a highway, ending his short life. Then there were my mixed bulldog brothers, Starsky and Hutch, named for my favorite TV cops at the time. They were awesome until they mistook the mailman for an escaped villain, forcing me to give them to someone who used a P.O. box for their mail.
Snoopy was my last dog enjoyed in childhood. He was like a brother, always sensing my wide variety of moods and he was ever ready to lend an affectionate lick to calm my nerves. Numerous times, he caused me to sin against my mother's wishes of keeping the dogs outside. On every cold night, I waited patiently for my mother to fall asleep so I could sneak my dear friend to my warm bed. He would dart under the covers to the base of the bed, sticking his frigid nose to my bare feet before returning to claim his share of my pillow. I then rose early the next morning to put him out before my unsuspecting mother awakened. I was never caught and he was never cold.
While I was reassembling my life after my father's death, even my near-sacred alliance with dogs was tested. A neighbor had a Brittany Spaniel that I suddenly detested for no good reason. This persistent little beast, with a deplorable pink nose, completely ignored my disdain of him and came faithfully to my yard on a regular basis.
I would greet him with an assortment of negative connotations about his mother and bloodline. Of course, I often reminded him that no respectable dog would sport a pink nose. Occasionally, I would throw light objects at him to make him leave. Even in a blind rage, I couldn't bring myself to do the loathsome creature any physical harm.
For all the abuse I hurled his way, he kept coming back for more. For the life of me, I couldn't understand how he could be so stupid. I have an idea he felt the same way about me. He was determined to befriend me and force me to appreciate that vulgar pink nose.
Persistence is a wonderful thing and his plans eventually won out. One day, I dropped my unfounded hatred for the young fellow and he leapt into my lap with reckless abandon. It was as if I had never abused him or spoken poorly of his heritage. The poor thing licked me until I had callouses.
Somehow, I discovered that the pink nose was endearing in its contrast to his light rust and white colored coat. His ability to love was stunning to me.
The conclusions to this chapter in my life are pretty obvious. Only God can instill love that deeply and if He can cause a dog to do that, imagine the depth of His ability to love us. We should be careful not to glance over this fact too quickly. There's a message in His love that we cannot afford to miss.
If you are like me, you may find it easy to see love as something that must be earned or deserved. This can create a hellish roller coaster ride based on our view of successes and failures that come our way on a daily basis. You will quickly come to the conclusion that you can never measure up.
That's why the dog analogy needs to be remembered and put to good use. Like the Brittany Spaniel, God doesn't wait on us to check off a list of rules or be loving to show we are deserving of His love and He doesn't even wait for us to love Him back. His constant love is the real confirmation that we don't need to deserve or prove anything. Love was His choice and that settles the issue.
There is an intriguing scripture in the Bible that says, "Open rebuke is better than love that is hidden." (Proverbs 27:5) See, you can never wrap your arms or heart around love that you remain distant to and unaware of. Sometimes, it takes a dog to bring it into view. But, the important thing is that you see it, whatever it takes.
I have a small little mutt that I rescued from the humane society. He knows no tricks or special acts, but I love his personality and the mannerisms that are uniquely his. One glance from him often speaks volumes about what he wants or needs and I see to those things quickly because I love the little guy, even though he was a reject who was picked up from the side of a road.
At one point, he was unwanted and unclaimed. Now, he sleeps on a soft pillow in a cozy house and eats himself into oblivion and gets more treats than a thousand kids on Halloween night. He gets extra meat in his dry food because that's the way he likes it. I pay attention because I have set my love upon him and I find him lovable. He has no clue why I love him and he doesn't care, either. He just enjoys it.
That message is what he and I would like to pass on to you. The fact that God desires to look your way is proof that He has made you worthy to be loved and that He is worth the time it takes to get to know Him. He will meet all the standards He cares about by working them in you rather than demanding them out of you. So roll over and get you a Heavenly belly rub and a good scratch. Your Father is making a new creation out of you because you deserve it. He said so.