Over the last few days my
wife, myself, and a friend have been trying to capture a homeless dog. He showed up on the front porch of a house beside
the church just after the occupant passed away.
It’s rather strange that he seemed to appear out of nowhere. Since he was nameless and we had no knowledge
of his history, Phyllis decided to call him Tiny; a name that is more than
suitable for his small size. In our
attempt to win him over we have discovered a few things. He is very fearful, anti-social
and lacks trust. Yet, on the other hand his intelligence and survival skills far
exceed his stature. We have tried feeding, talking, and trapping in an effort
to rescue him but have had no success. When we try to approach him he runs off
the porch to the back of the house or to the neighbor’s yard. When we set the
trap he avoided it completely as if he knew our intentions. All our efforts have left us exasperated; we
have run out of options. On the way to church this morning Phyllis looked over,
saw him in his usual place and gave a heart touching response. “If he only
knew, he could live like a king.” Words were never truer spoken. Any dog that finds itself at the Bewley’s is
treated as royalty. Our pets are fed when hungry, nursed when sick, and pampered
when in need of attention; “If he only knew.” His world could change with just
one act of obedience. This reminds me of
the occasion when Jesus tearfully stood looking upon his beloved people and
uttered the following words: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that
kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to
gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings,
but you wouldn’t let me.” (Matthew
23:37 NLT) Their Messiah wanted to rescue them but they fought the very initiatives
that could bring deliverance. Could not
the same be said of us? God reaches out to embrace us, to love us, to save us,
yet we pull away in distrusting fear. His only intent is to provide safety and
to treat us like kings; “If we only knew!”
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