Man's best friend

Last night I went for a run. Plugged in with my IPod, I had my attention focused on what was in front of me when all of a sudden I felt this “presence” behind me to my right. My first thought was that I was “Oh no I’m being passed” and as I’m sure you’ve experienced, you can’t look bad by being passed when you’re out for a jog. But then all of a sudden out of the corner of my eye I saw it by my waist, the big head of a monster dog. Needless to say I immediately stopped running, jumped up in the air and let out a yelp like a little school girl and stopped. It was a yellow lab and it stopped right with me then moved over to the sidewalk, looking straight ahead as if it had been trained as a seeing-eye dog. Now I am not a pet person and it’s not that I don’t like dogs because I do, I just am not ready for the responsibility of one. Well this dog simply stayed there, it didn’t try to sniff me, slobber on me, jump on me or bite me in the butt. So I began running again and it trotted along right beside me 6 inches away from my side as if it were on a leash. It was following me. So I stopped again and it stopped. I reached over and pet it on the side of the head and it didn’t flinch, pull away, or try to get a whiff of me. Now that is my kind of dog, one that will let me do anything I want with it and won’t be jumping all over me, licking every part of my exposed skin, but simply faithfully following me waiting for me when I am ready to show it affection when I want. Then it dawned on me. How much is this dog like Christ? He does not impose Himself on us, but loves us with His life. He allows us to smack Him, yell at Him, treat Him like property, and ignore Him as if He doesn’t exist. Yet He is always on the front porch waiting and wanting for us to come home so that He can express His love for us. We tend to love dogs because of their unconditional love for us. A dog will listen as we gripe and unload our burdens, not giving any solutions, not telling us that we are wrong for having that attitude, not condemning us for our response. The result, they completely take our troubles away, calming the pains in our hearts taking us to a whole new world when we reach over and scratch them behind the ear. Isn’t that what Christ wants to do for us? He tells us to cast our cares upon Him, to “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden light.” I have heard that preached so many times to the point where it is now kinda like a cliché. It is easy to say, but not necessarily easy to do, or is it? If I allow a dog to wisp away all my troubles, I can do the same with Christ. I guess that is how Paul can be in jail and still have his “best day attitude” in a worst day situation.