My wife Denise and I watched our 10 1/2 month old rescue 110 lb Red Bone Hound dog play keep away from our most recent acquisition Arrow kept me laughing for the longest time this morning. Nearly 5 month old Arrow, who narrowly escaped death after being run over by a car, is about 15 lbs now. His broken leg is healed and functions’ quite well considering it was a total spiral break and his head only shows a v shaped scar where the scalp had pealed back from contact with some hard object. Anyway, these two hit it off as best friends from the git-go. Murphy and Cally the 7 year old brother and sister Irish Setters (also rescue dogs) did not warm up to this short yellow lab that had a green cast on his hind leg and our other rescue, Ditto the 4 year old female Aussie Shepherd mix doesn’t appreciate another 4 paws in the house and yard but I have to tell you Harley just loves this growing ball of energy.
This morning, as most, these two were playing tug of war. Sometimes it is Harley doing the tugging, dragging Arrow around the yard. It goes without saying that a 110 lb dog could squash, keep-away and just be a pain to Arrow should she desire. But that is not the case with this usually lazy, slow Southern lug of a hound dog. They would tug back and forth on a stuffed milk-bone toy. Arrow would pick it up and run with Harley giving chase. Then the roles reverse as Harley grabs the toy and Arrow is running through her legs trying to grab it back. Harley’s gentle acceptance and care for this little one has really been reminding me about just how many times I have had to be rescued in my life and in spite of myself, how the Almighty Lord has been there keeping me company, guiding, caring for and protecting me all along the way.
It is not always easy to figure out where our head and heart belongs. Do we make our work our family the sum of our life? Do we become engulfed in an outlet of sports or some other activity as our primary focus and makeshift security blanket? That’s right! We run about busy and consumed in our mostly organized lives planning our days and nights, working on the areas most important to ourselves. Is this enough or are we lost just running about acting like we know where we and who we are? Most people probably aren’t as slow as me at figuring things out but that is the beauty about diversity. We are all in this together even if we do have to walk it alone.
The truth of the matter is we all ponder and will eventually contend with these questions. Who am I? Where am I going? What am I supposed to be doing here? Is there a God? These are all critical questions, which our soul requires answers to even if they are wrong answers. Many people try to ignore or dodge the questions and the answers or try to cover them up as if they are really not important. Truth of the matter is one day we will have to confront and give account of our stewardship of our lives. Some people like to expound as if they are learned experts about their take on the answers but it really boils down to a very simple thing. Only the Spirit of God can give the truly healing answers that we each long for in our heart of hearts. It is not floating around in the universe waiting for us to get lucky and grab on to it. We are all running about as it were in the road of life playing dodge ball with those big cars that don’t slow down or move around where we are standing like deer blinded by the headlights. Many of us act like we have the answers. In reality, even in the midst of our busy lives, families and activities of distraction, we each are still alone in our soul. God does not fail to see our vein and usually ignorant attempts at happiness and wholeness. He has a plan that allows us the opportunity to be rescued by the One Who first love us. The One Who really took the time to plan, develop and walk the path out and make the yard of our life safe for us to walk and play. The truth is that until we are rescued, we do not know that there is something better than what we had or where we were!
Now I could continue to draw more parallels and will probably do so in future posts, but I am so grateful that I was rescued and am playing in the protected yard in the Kingdom of Heaven. Sure there are pitfalls and problems, with which to contend and the others in the yard may not yet appreciate me, but in this home I am loved, fed and protected from all the things I can’t control. If we can have and share such great love for our children and pets, just how truly great and powerful is God’s love for us? A question to ponder!
Until the next installment of Harley and Arrow!
Blessings and love from above!
Scotti G
Scott G Cunningham is a minister and founder of Integrity Mission Ministry. As well as teaching and training others, this ministry focuses on supporting valued and properly run ministries already in service. He is author of One Christ One Body and co-author of the #1 Best Seller Overcomer’s Inc. available at [http://overcomeranthology.com]. An accomplished outdoor photographer, Scotti G as he is also known focuses on the Outdoors with Nature and Architecture. Scotti G other photographic interest lies in the night! For many years, he has been capturing the beauty of the night.