Right in the middle of all the snow we got after Christmas, I saw something that made me laugh out loud. My son-in-law was driving us from my Dad’s to my in-laws’ house in his 4-wheel drive SUV. As we were making our way on a snow-covered country road toward our destination, we saw another SUV coming toward us. The rear window on the driver’s side was rolled down, and out of the window stuck the heads of two of the happiest dogs you’ve ever seen in your life! They were loving the snow, and their noses in the wind, and just riding in the vehicle! After all the grim weather-casters predicting “snowmaggeddon”, and people worrying and complaining about the snow, those two dogs were, well, a breath of fresh air.
I don’t currently have a dog (and no, I don’t want yours), but I love dogs, and some dogs have been very old and dear friends of mine. So when one of my professors from college emailed me this column, it made me smile. And I think it’s good enough to share with you.
Dog’s Purpose: from a 6-year-old.
Being a veterinarian, I was called to examine a ten-year-old Irish wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle. I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.
As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure as they felt that Shane might learn something from the experience.
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker’s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.
The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.
Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, “I know why.”
Startled, we all turned to him.
What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try to live. He said, “People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life — like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?”
The six-year-old continued, “Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.”
Remember, if a dog were the teacher you would learn things like:
- When loved ones come home, always run to greet them;
- Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride;
- Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy;
- Take naps;
- Stretch before rising;
- Run, romp, and play daily;
- Thrive on attention and let people touch you;
- Avoid biting when a simple growl will do;
- On warm days, stop to lie on your back in the grass;
- On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree;
- When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body;
- Delight in the simple joy of a long walk;
- Be loyal;
- Never pretend to be something you’re not;
- If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it;
- When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently;
There comes a time in life when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it.
You surround yourself with people who make you laugh, forget the bad, and focus on the good, so love the people who treat you right.
Think good thoughts for the ones who don’t ~ life is too short to be anything but happy.
I love that column! I have only a couple of things to add.
First, we don’t become Christians by being “nice”. The Sermon On the Mount in Matthew 5-7 was not given for us to know what we should do to become a Christian. The Lord Jesus gave that sermon to define what a born-again Christian looks like. You can’t begin to live The Sermon On the Mount unless you have been born again by believing in Jesus…and only then if you rely on the power of God’s Holy Spirit.
That being said, an awful lot of born-again people are some of the meanest, nastiest people I know. They would do well to get off of their blessed assurance and review what Jesus said in The Sermon On the Mount. One man said he came to the realization that, based on everything the preacher said Christians were not to do, his dog was a better Christian than he was!
Dogs can’t become Christians, or live by The Sermon On the Mount. But I’m afraid that for too many professing believers, it may be true that their dog is a better Christian than they are!
Don’t let that be true of you. Now: go take your dog for a ride with the window down!
Soli Deo Gloria!
Pastor David