The Parable of the Dog and Her Master

I try to get Lucie and I out for a walk every day that it's not raining, snowing, sleeting, or so hot and humid that we risk heat stroke. As it gets deeper into summer, our walks get earlier and earlier to avoid both the heat of the day and as many mosquitoes and deer flies as we can. Today we were out by 8am. The sun was glorious, the sky was brilliant blue, it was still fairly cool with a light breeze. As Lucie scampered off ahead of me on the gravel road, I stayed ever alert for danger. Tractors pulling farm equipment, spray trucks, the county road grader, and an occasional neighbor heading to town are common on the road in front of my house. Lucie is usually pretty alert and stays out of their way, but still I worry and watch, calling her to me if I hear or see a vehicle coming. She sits, quiet and obedient, until the danger passes, and I give her the word that it's safe to continue. Do I give my Master the same respect? Do I trust that He is watching the road ahead for danger and will call to me if it approaches? And if He does call, do I answer, quiet and obedient?

As we turn onto the safer dirt road, I'm still alert. Are the neighbor's cows in their roadside pasture? Lucie is SO tempted by the mamas and the calves...especially the calves. They kick and run from her, and she delights in chasing them.While there is little danger from their tiny flying hooves, there is danger from the farmer who sees dogs chasing his cattle as a real menace to his livelihood. Cattle-chasing dogs have been known to turn up shot...not a fate I want for my precious doggie! So, I call to her sternly; I pull her away from temptation before she even gets started...and she obeys. Does my Master call out to me to avoid temptation? Can He see danger in things that look so fun and innocuous to me? Do I even heed His call?

I'm always amazed when I see Lucie absolutely ignore the most tantalizing things. She runs right past the big ol' frogs who plop into the ditch water when she passes. She gives no notice at all to the mama kildeer running along the road in front of her trying to lure Lucie away from her nest. Squawking and feigning a broken wing, she wants Lucie to give chase; Lucie could care less. Yesterday I watched as my doggie literally trotted right over a dead snake! Never even glanced down. I shake my head and chuckle, "what does it take, Lucie, to get you to notice things right in front of you?" Does my Master shake His head as well when I walk unseeing past signs He puts in my path? Does He sigh when I fail to see His beautiful creation splashed right before my eyes? Does He chuckle to Himself and wonder, "what will it take to get Evelyn to notice and respond to my direction for her life?"

We come full circle and back to the house; we walk about an hour. It's warmer now, and the coolness of the house feels good. Rain is predicted for the weekend. We may not get to walk since the conditions won't be right, besides I'll be busy with other things. Lucie will 'invite' me to go, sitting by the door with her tail thumping the floor, but I'll say no. What does my Master think when He invites, and I turn Him down because the timing's not right or I have other things to do? Lucie quietly retreats when her invitation isn't accepted, but she always comes back to invite again. I hope my Master will as well.

The Parable of the Goats

Yesterday as Lucie and I were on our walk, we heard a strange crying sound. We had heard it briefly the day before at the same place on the road. It sounded a bit like a child in distress. I immediately began listening closer...was it a child? If so, should I investigate? Could it be the youngster who lives up the hill in the old farmhouse? I began making my intervention plan.. Then I listened closer. No, not a child. Maybe an amorous cat? I could ignore that. Maybe it's one of the neighbors calves, maybe it's caught someplace. More thoughts swirled in my head. I started formulating another plan. As we turned the corner, I was still deep in thought, pondering next steps, when out of the woods popped a herd of little goats! Surprise! Lucie barked, I yelped, the goats bleated and cried before running away down the road. I quickly recovered my composure, grabbed Lucie, and soon the little guys came back to have their heads rubbed and to nuzzle for food. Surprise...that funny sound was goats! Who would have thought that? I'd never seen goats anywhere along this road.

Isn't life a bit like my goat story? You have a problem to solve. You ponder, you think, you worry and fret. You make plan after plan. You lose sight of the here-and-now because you're so engrossed in figuring out your issue. Then out of the blue....God surprises you with what He wants, His plan. His surprise is often better than anything you have even imagined. His surprise is always the right answer to the dilemma. Sometimes His surprise is simply a wake up call to remind you that you are not in charge here....He is. No one says you shouldn't work to solve problems or have goals to achieve. But the moral to this parable is you should always leave yourself willing and open to be surprised by God. What surprises does God have in store for you today?