Psalm 24:4-5 Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.
As I was taking one of my many walks some time ago, I was meditating on the theology we can learn from a dog. In God's providence I believe he created certain animals as object lessons for us. Solomon tells us to "go to the ant thou sluggard" and Christ said, "consider the birds." One of the greatest animal object lessons God created was the sheep. And looking at the duck-billed platypus shows us God's sense of humor if nothing else. So, I believe there is something to be learned from man's best friend - the dog. My dog Stetson is a very social animal - he loves being around people. When I am at home, he follows me around the house and no matter what room I am in - he is right there somewhere. When my wife Donna was around, he was a mama's dog, but now that Donna is in heaven, he is settling for a distant second substitute, me. He has never told me, but I think he liked Donna better! When Donna was alive, we would often go places and take Stetson with us - now it's just he and I - but he still is ever ready to take a trip anywhere at any time. Not long ago we went for a 5 mile walk, and all I needed to do was say was, "Stetson - let's go" and he was out the door in a flash and in the back seat of the car on his rug ready to roll. Curiously I never heard him ask, "Where are we going", or "how long are we going to be gone" or "are we there yet?" Instead, he is patiently curled up on his rug in the back seat content to be with me. He is happy just knowing that he is with me - that's all that matters to him in his world. How often has God said to us, "Let's go" and we respond with "Where are we going?" When the trip is taking a bit longer than we like out pops the ubiquitous question "Are we there yet?" And of course, we always want to know "How long is this trip going to take?" Why don't we just be content that we are with God? About three years ago God said to me "Let's go" when He took Donna to heaven. He is taking me into a new chapter in my life, and unlike Stetson I found myself asking those questions of "Where are we going", and "I'm not sure I want to make this trip with you God." However, I need to consider the dog. Like Stetson, it should be enough for me to know that God is taking me somewhere - and as long as I am with him that is all I need to know. God knows the destination and he knows how long it will take - I need to know that God is taking care of me, and his presence should be all that I need. Consider the dog! It neither asks questions about where it is going, how long it will be gone, or whether it is there yet - instead it is just content to be with the Master. So here’s a question for all of us, "Are we content to just be with the Master?"