plz tell – here’s one i saw online this morn BY mike ensley;
Most people, when they get a dog, are thinking mostly about the two months of puppy they want to enjoy rather than the 10 years of dog they don’t plan on preparing for. When they come to those long adult years, they find themselves with an undisciplined, full-grown creature that has outgrown its charm and they don’t know what to do with it.
When I was a kid, my parents hired a professional trainer to help them domesticate Lucy, the German Shepherd my sister had picked out to be our family dog. My dad took us along to Lucy’s obedience classes so we could observe the process and be able to train dogs ourselves from then on.
That’s what I did with Chloe almost a decade later.
But even when you know what to do and why it’s important, it still isn’t easy to sternly rebuke a little ball of fuzz when she’s done something naughty but still so darn cute. Or to deny her the pleasure of people food when she’s got the original Puppy-Dog eyes trained on you. I think the worst was listening to the simultaneously adorable and pathetic whimpers coming from her kennel in the morning. But all of these things were measures that prevented numerous challenges and hardships later on.
The benefit of all this has made an immeasurable difference in my relationship with Chloe. She was potty-trained at 10 weeks old, which was awesome. Today I can leave to run errands, hit the gym or whatever, and know that she will not chew anything she isn’t supposed to or bark incessantly and bother the neighbors. And best of all for her, I can take her off-leash in the park and watch her bound joyfully after the tennis ball again and again, unafraid that she will run off anywhere or do anything to get either of us in trouble.
It hit me the other morning, as Chloe was fetching freely and the angry Beagle was yipping at her whenever she passed his window, that this iswhat God wants for me — this is why He’s looked after and disciplined me the way He has.
You see, Chloe doesn’t use her freedom to do the things the undisciplined dogs do. No doubt, given a leash-less opportunity most of them would wreak as much havoc as their size allowed. I wonder if, as they are watching her they aren’t thinking, “Why don’t you ditch that guy!? Go get that mail lady! Bite her good! Wait! Why are you going back? He’s going to put the leash on you! What a sucker!” Her obedience must not look like freedom at all to them.
Then again, she’s the one enjoying a romp in the open air while they press their wet noses to the window.
Likewise, the world looks at some of the costs involved with our pursuit of Christ and thinks we’re crazy. They mock those who opt for purity in the face of internal conflict and external pressure. I know as I have struggled to leave behind my own self-indulgences, and even the homosexual tendencies that come so naturally to me, people (many of whom have never met me, mind you) will describe my life as loveless, pointless, hopeless. Christians throughout history have received similar (and worse) criticisms from an incredulous and unbelieving world, who ironically are ensconced in the ever-tightening tendrils of sin they are convinced is the best they have to hope for.
The free spirits, open relationships and progressive minds of our culture lead people into a bondage that only tastes good when you’re ignorant about what is good. Even if there were none of the “practical” consequences to sin that we seem to focus on the most (STIs, abortion, alimony), the soul-killing power of sin would still be there.
The “disease of self” — as dc Talk once put it — is what I’m talking about. It’s not just the way we steal and hurt others, but the self-focused ways we love and give and do things we think are good. It doesn’t take long for that self-living to trap you inside yourself, preventing any real connection to God or others. It’s an amazing grace that God interrupts our slow descent with discipline.
And you know, contrary to what a lot of preachers and authors will tell you, He doesn’t even look down on us for it.
Rescue
Just the other day I rescued a little Yorkie wandering around the apartment complex late at night. Yorkshire Terriers are adorable and very valuable little dogs, yet this one’s owner had not even bothered to affix a mark of ownership. No collar, no tag; just a helpless little dog wandering alone in gator country.
I found out later that “Missy” escaped her home because of a door left open. She had only been “free” for a short while, but it didn’t take her long to get caked in poop and acquire a nasty scratch on her back. She kind of reminded me of me, in that way. I can’t think of a time I threw off the oppressive fetters of my faith to do what I wanted that I did not end up wounded and dirtied in some way.
As I gave the Yorkie a bath, at times fighting my gag reflex as chunks of filth came off, I kept seeing that adorable little face looking up at me, the cute ca
i have 2 dogs, got both by accident. one given to us and the other was a stray that stayed. hee.
anyways, our oldest dog is greedy and never let the stray dog eat. so i had to separate them during their feeding. long story short, the stray dog picked up his bowl and brought it to the oldest. i thought that was so sweet. dogs have a soul. don’t they?
President-Elect Barack Obama is looking for a hypoallergenic dog to become the First Dog of the United States of America. He also said he’d like a rescue dog. He can have both!
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Suzie our Small Yorkshire Terrier, we found abandoned on the side of the road and in a bad way. How could anyone do this to such a Sweetie. h has now unfortutlypassed away.
Rescue Me is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring the safety and well-being of the Yorkshire Terrier breed. We are a small group of rescue buddies who came to know one another through one common interest – saving the lives of dogs.
