Our world would be a vastly different
planet, and we as a people would also be vastly different without animals
alongside us. So a very dear friend of mine told me about a "rescue
adventure" she was involved with, to help locate a dog who had been
ejected from a car during this
horrific accident. The car was nearly crushed (as would anything if a semi-truck ran over it),
but the couple miraculously survived with only minor injuries, wow! 😲 However their dog (named Daisy), who was riding in the backseat was
completely ejected out of the car! Because dogs are amazing, she somehow managed to get herself to a wooded area below the ramp where the accident occurred, where she hunkered
down to stay safe. Mind you, it's July, so temperatures have
been in the upper 90s. Apparently there was a creek where she sheltered, but she
had no food, nor any care for her condition (a shattered femur).
So the word went out, and a team of
volunteers hunted high and low in the area of the accident until they found her
(this was a few days later). She was beat up, dehydrated, and hungry, but alive,
so they immediately transported her to a local emergency vet hospital. Unfortunately
Daisy ended up losing one of her legs, but after surgery, some food and water,
and a few days' rest, she was reunited with her owners, who were absolutely
overjoyed to get her back! All of the rescuers were there as well to celebrate the
reunion; seems there was not a dry eye in the house! 😭 Overall, it was a very
heartwarming story.
After hearing this story, I had a "seed" planted
in me, which I believe the Lord put on my heart, so I'll try to explain what
that en-tails (get it?). This story is
a metaphor for our own lives. We, like Daisy, go through our lives seemingly carefree, sniffing after
whatever suits us, indulging in things we shouldn't, following wherever our
whims happen to take us. We think life is great, that we are
indestructible...maybe even immortal. Perhaps we think that because we've been told
we're a "good boy" or a "good girl," that God is on our
side. But metaphorically, I believe things may go a little like
this:
You
are Daisy. Or, choose your pooch. You have a soft bed, tasty food,
yummy doggie treats, balls to catch, squirrels to chase, butts to sniff, car
windows to stick out of, and water bowls to slobber through. Life is great!
But then one day, you develop an ache. Or
a limp. Or a lump. And like traffic, life slows down, maybe even grinds to a halt. Things get
complicated. You can't run any more. The doggie treats stop. The balls stay in
the basket. Your tasty food has been replaced with some type of unpalatable stuff
that's "better" for you. You get nasty pills shoved down your
throat. You're frustrated, sad, and confused, but stoically, you ride it out. And surprisingly,
things may eventually clear up, and again you go on your merry way. Life is great!
But then you discover that that reprieve was only temporary, and the cycle starts all over again. And again. And again…
Then one day you're riding along in the
back seat of life, completely untethered, feeling the wind in your face,
looking forward to your next adventure, when suddenly, you look in your rearview
mirror and see the semi-truck of mortality bearing down on you full speed. 😵 You panic.
You can't move. You can't run. You can't escape. It comes out of nowhere. And it
crushes you. *BOOM.*
Because you're untethered, you are flung
out the window into the world and onto the hard concrete. You're hurt, you're
confused, you don't know what's going on. You can't think clearly, you only
know you have to try to do something to
get yourself out of this crazy situation! So you crawl and drag yourself into
the woods, thinking that you'll be safe, only to realize you're now completely alone. There's no water. No food. There are flies and mud. Bugs keep
biting you. You're getting poked by thorns and scratched by branches. Brambles and burrs are getting stuck in your fur. The ground is cold and wet. And your leg really hurts. But there you
sit, unable to move, unable to get yourself out of this mess. You're
scared and don't know what to do. So you howl. And in desperation, you pray. You ask God to
come into your life, to save you, to give you hope. You realize you can't throw the ball yourself, you're only making a mess of things; your leg is
broken, your tail won't wag, your fur's a mess, and you know that if you stay
on this path, you're doomed, and you don't think anyone will ever find you.
But God hears you and sounds the alert! He
sends out Jesus and his angelic "rescue team." His angels
rally around you. Jesus soars to your
location. He beats
back the unruly brambles and burrs of your life, searching desperately for
you, calling your name, beseeching you to come to Him. All you
call muster is a weak "woof."
But he hears your cry and follows the sound, cocking his
head from side to side, homing in on its location. And suddenly…
He sees you, and hurries to you, curled up, broken, scared,
fearful, hopeless.
He runs to you, strokes your head, wipes away your tears, and
gently wraps His loving arms around you. He holds you close and tells you everything is going to be okay.
He tenderly picks you up in his arms and transports you to His heavenly "hospital."
There, you are given rest, an
infusion of hope, a
beautiful golden
"collar," a new
heart that beats for Him, and the assurance that you'll never be alone--He
will never leave you nor forsake you! Even His angelic rescuers
throw a party to celebrate the
fact that you have been found! You may have lost a leg along the way while trying
to maneuver through your life before Jesus, but you know that with Him by your
side, there's nothing you can't
get through! Now you're filled with joy, and your tail is wagging so hard,
you feel like you could almost take flight…and you will, soon! And when
you get to Heaven, He lets you know how very special you are to him by telling
you, "Well done, my good
and faithful servant!" In fact, He's
prepared for you the best treats and snacks you've ever had ever, and even better than a new bed, He's
made you a beautiful comfortable new home
designed especially for you! You know then that you are truly home!
You see, ALL of us are Daisy. Our lives
may seem untroubled, but without God, we're simply going through life tied to a
stake in the back yard, covered with burrs and brambles, wearing a heavy choke
chain, barely given food or water, never to be told "good boy" or
"good girl," something we all long to hear. It's been said that "dog" is God spelled
backward, and that God created dogs as "man's best friend" to show us
how special we are to God. After all, everyone knows that you are loved by a
dog, no matter how long--or short--of a time you are away from them, they are
always overjoyed to
see you again! This is how
God feels about us when we make the decision to come to Him through faith! 😇
Jesus said, "I am THE way, THE truth
and THE life, no one comes to the Father but through Me." It's up to us to
listen to the Master's voice and call on His name in order to save ourselves!
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