We Are Like Dogs
Many of us have a soft spot for dogs or perhaps a special dog that we share our life with. They really are amazing creatures, such good company, affectionate, so loyal and lots of fun.
I know and love a particular dog called Ralph. (Great name for a dog. How many other names can a dog himself pronounce?) No, Ralph’s not our dog. He belongs to my daughter and husband who live up in the Riverland. Generally he’s a terrific dog, obedient, calm and everything you want a dog to be. We all love him but he does have another side. Do these things sound familiar? Leaving dirty marks on the clean floor. Digging holes and destroying plants in the garden. Chewing up toys and other useful objects. Leaving messy deposits exactly where we are most likely to walk. Escaping from the yard and going AWOL. Chasing cars and other animals. On one occasion Ralph himself chased a kangaroo who turned on him and escaped being killed by the big buck only because of the bravery of his owner who managed at great risk to himself to chase the animal off.
Why do dogs do these things? Simple answer: they’re dogs. That’s the way God made them.
Let’s be honest. We are all like dogs. We do the wrong thing, make the wrong choices. We all sin. Why? We’re human. That’s the way God made us. As our loving creator He gave us a free will, the ability and freedom to make our own choices, above all the choice to love and follow Him and his will for our lives. Unfortunately our naturally self-seeking natures often take us in the opposite direction.
Have you ever seen a dog who looks genuinely sorry for having caused its owners trouble? Questionable… That sorry look may be just a fear of another angry reprimand or smack across the rump. As humans, unlike dogs, we are created with the capacity to show true remorse. God understands our human nature. In Jesus He lived as a human and experienced all of the experiences, temptations and emotions that we go through. If we come to Him, recognising and acknowledging our mistakes and our failures, He understands… and is always there with open arms to forgive us.
We won’t ever stop loving Ralph, despite his misdemeanours. God, whose love is immeasurable, far greater than we could ever imagine, will certainly never stop loving us.
Chris Jaensch
This devotion is a version of the tale Chris told when he led school chapel on the first day of term 2.
Chris has just released his fourth music album titled Night & Day, a mix of Christian songs including four tracks which Chris recorded with the Vocal Ensemble from our school. Along with his other three albums Night & Day is available in CD form($10 each)in the school office. Chris’ tracks are also available on line via YouTube, Spotify, iTunes, Amazon, Google etc.
