The Dog, My Teacher...

Have you ever had one of those dreams that is just sort of unsettling to you.  One that you might not even remember what it was about, yet you wake up a bit jostled because of it?  I had one of those this morning!  In fact it even continued after I had fallen back asleep following an early morning visit to the little room off the corner of our bedroom… (I know… too much information!)  When I finally pulled off the covers and gingerly stepped out of bed for the day about 8:00 am, I shook my head to try and rid myself of the cobwebs and began to quietly speak out 2 Timothy 1:7 declaring that “God has not given me the spirit of fear but one of power, love and a sound mind.” (KJV – personalized).

As I shuffled into the kitchen to get the coffee going, I still felt a bit disheveled and then noticed that our dog was in the living room, stretched out and sleeping on the hardwood floor near the patio door.  That struck me as a bit odd in that she is always on the couch or “her” La-Z-Boy ® chair (one of two matching chairs that we have that we keep covered so she doesn’t stain the material) when I come in each day.  My immediate thought was that something was wrong as she wasn’t too excited about eating her breakfast yesterday and ended up chewing on the green leaves of one of our patio plants.  Later in the morning she did eat and seemed to be back to her old self by the afternoon and evening.  But was this behavior today a part of yesterday’s problem?

As all this bounded around in my head I figured that I would keep an eye on her and take her to the Vet if necessary.  Then a few moments later while preparing my coffee, a thought popped into my head asking:  “What are you going to trust?  What you think you might see, or the truth of MY Word?”  Now some of you might be thinking that God’s Word does not necessarily cover our pets, but I beg to differ.  The Bible talks about our flocks being blest and kept healthy as well as the well-being of our households.  So, I take that to include our dog who you could say is our “flock” as well as being a part of our household!  Mark 16 also tells us to “lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”  (KJV) It doesn’t define who or what the sick might be…

So with those words blinking in my head, I stopped what I was doing and acknowledged that I was going by what I thought I saw and not by what the truth of God’s Word says on the subject.  Then I was reminded that I had laid hands on the pooch yesterday and spoke the Lord’s healing over her.  Now was decision time… What was I going to believe?  Well, you know me, I choose what the Word says and the productivity of my actions in accordance to that Word.

That agreement made me feel better and when I went back into the living room to put my shoes and socks on, I noticed that there were pillows laying on the chair and the couch.  It turns out that she was on the floor because she couldn’t get on her usual spots!  So with that I blew out a breath of relief along with a chuckle at my silliness, bent down to pet the dog who wagged her tail furiously and then removed the obstructions.  And with that, Mandie jumped to her feet and leaped to the couch were she snugged into a ball and fell fast asleep!

So what do you think?  Is that a dumb example, or is there a lesson here?  To me there was a clear point that the Lord was trying to make.  In John 17:17 Jesus prayed,  “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” (KJV).  I believe that the Lord was telling me through the incident with the dog that we are supposed to be “separated” from what the world may dictate to our eyes and ears by our trust in the truth of God’s Word.  In modern computer vernacular, God’s Word should be the source that we automatically "default" to!  Jesus said that it was the truth, and therefore should be where we go for answers… all the time… no matter what we think we see before us.

I think that is called faith!  And according to 2 Corinthians 5:7, that is exactly how we are to walk in our daily lives… right?  So, to me, it doesn’t matter if it concerns our pets, a beloved family member, the neighbor next door or the amount you may need in your bank account.  We are to approach every situation, every need, every thought and action by faith in the truth of God’s Word.  Wouldn’t you agree?

So give it a go today (and every day of your life!).  Don’t wait for your dog to teach you a lesson, or have a donkey talk to you (see Numbers 22).  Allow yourself to be “separated” from anything that is contrary to God’s Word as you walk in the security and love of what God has said about you and your life as a Believer.  Have a good day.  Stay in tune to His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What or Whom am I expecting to LISTEN TO today?”