by M. R. Wells
Squitchey is devoted to Karen. Steve is devoted to me. The Old Testament prophet Elisha was devoted to his mentor, Elijah. God had commanded Elijah to anoint Elisha as his successor. Elisha became Elijah’s attendant, and he stayed close to Elijah for years. Finally, the day came for God to take Elijah to be with Him. Three times as they were traveling, Elijah told Elisha to remain behind. Three times, Elisha refused. He stayed right beside his spiritual father until Elijah “went up to heaven in a whirlwind” (2 Kings 2:11). Like Squitchey, Elisha was grieved to see his master go—and tore his clothes as a sign of that grief. Then he picked up Elijah’s prophetic mantle and faithfully served God all the rest of his days.
Squitchey stayed with Karen. Steve and I stayed with each other. Elisha stayed with Elijah. For each of us, it was a commitment of love. It’s the same love God shows His children when He promises never to leave or forsake us. I am so grateful that I have a God and a husband and a dog that will be there and care—because they want to be!
Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8).
Consider This:
Who in your life has stayed close by you through the good times and the down times? What has this meant to you? Who might God want you to do this for? What are some ways you have felt God being there and caring for you?
Jazzmin’s “Ian Watch”
Who Do You Long For?
Sometimes, when one person is missing,
the whole world seems depopulated.
ALPHONSE DE LAMARTINE
My friend Val and her family absolutely adore Jazzmin, their 13-year-old Airedale terrier. She adores them too…especially Ian. Val’s middle son lived at home long after his brothers flew the coop. He became Jazzmin’s special person. Jazzmin waited eagerly for Ian to get home from work every day. She hung out with him all evening and sacked out in his room when he went to bed. True, she’d be curled up on the living room sofa by morning, but she always started out snoozing with her best buddy.
That was all before Ian’s life changed. He decided to move from Los Angeles to California’s central coast. He had a great job opportunity and had always thought about living in this area. He felt the change would be good and found a wonderful place to live. Though sad to see him go, his parents were excited about the new vistas opening in his life. They were glad for him.
Jazzmin was bummed!
Her doggie brain didn’t understand what was happening. She just knew her pal Ian was no longer there. She seemed depressed. She would hang out by the front door, then stretch out in Ian’s old room to sleep, just like she had before he left. Was she waiting, hoping he would someday come home to her?
Maybe so. And one day he did, if just for a little while. He had returned to get his bed and haul it to his new home.
When Ian walked through the front door, Jazzmin went berserk. She is a senior dog, but she kicked up her heels like a six-month-old puppy! She literally jumped for joy. She rose up on her hind legs, wrapped her paws around Ian’s thighs, and gave him a doggie hug. She was a living doggie portrait of pure delight. It blew Ian away. He hadn’t realized he was quite that important to Jazzmin, and his heart was warmed by the love of his canine friend.
Jazzmin’s sweet, innocent attachment to Ian reminds me of how small children often long for their parents when they are apart. When I was very young, I went through a period when I hated being left with babysitters. I think I was somehow afraid that my parents wouldn’t come back, or that something might happen to them. I remained wakeful, waiting to close my eyes until they were safely home.
I also recall one specific incident when Mom went to the grocery store. For some reason I was petrified she wouldn’t return. More than half a century later, I can’t recall if she’d gotten upset with me or if there was some other trigger. I do have a sense that I stood at the window, looking out at the street, hoping for a glimpse of her and bawling my eyes out.
Like most children, I outgrew such separation anxiety as I got older. After my dad died when I was 30, I’m ashamed to say I saw a lot less of my mom than she would have wanted. Fortunately, in the years right before her death some of that got fixed. But she let me know that my lack of longing to be in her presence hurt her, and I’d sent a message that I didn’t really love her.
God also wants us to long for Him. He wants us to delight in being with Him, just as Jazzmin rejoiced in being with Ian. Just as Jazzmin looked forward to her special together time with Ian each day, God wants us to treasure our daily special time with Him. But He also sent His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins, rise from the dead, and ascend into heaven to intercede for us. And one day Jesus will return—not to collect His things, like Ian did, but to remain and reign over us forever. God wants us to watch and wait eagerly for that day too. And unlike Jazzmin, we can be certain of our Master’s return. God promises us this in His Word. In Acts 1:10-11 we read that the disciples “were looking intently up into the sky as [Jesus] was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood before them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.’”
Jesus doesn’t want us to be depressed, as Jazzmin was, because He has clearly told us He will return. He wants us to wait expectantly by being alert to the signs of the times and by going about His business. In Matthew 24:45-47, He said, “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.”
Chances are Ian won’t ever live with Jazzmin again. But he’ll be back to visit, and she’ll rejoice whenever she sees him. Jesus is with us now through His Spirit, and one day He will return for good to reign and rule on this earth. If we rejoice in this promise and wait eagerly for Him, it will warm His heart, just as Jazzmin warmed Ian’s!
Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come (Matthew 24:42).
Consider This:
Are you eager to spend time with the Lord every day? How do you do this? What is special about your time together? Are you anticipating Jesus’s second coming? How are you watching and waiting for Him?
Hopelessly Devoted to You
Love Is Faithful
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your
dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be
yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart.
You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
ANONYMOUS
Erika was six when her family got Missy, a yellow Lab/golden retriever mix. The two girls bonded instantly—like best friends and sisters of a different species. Erika spent all her free time with Missy in those early childhood days that seemed to last forever. Her parents entrusted her with the responsibility of feeding Missy when she came home from school and taking Missy on her afternoon walks.
But as Erika grew older, she had more demands on her time. There was schoolwork, extracurricular activities, sports, hanging out with friends, church stuff—and it all added up to less time with Missy. Then, in high school, Erika had a shift in attitude. She started feeling like she was just too cool for her dog. It was like she was part of the in crowd and Missy was a four-legged nerd with a tail. Erika began to take Missy for granted.
Missy did not respond in kind. Her devotion to Erika never wavered. Through Erika’s transition from kid to teen, Missy was constantly loyal and loving no matter how little time Erika spent with her. Missy held no grudges. She didn’t complain. She was always there when Erika needed a friend. Sounds like Missy was exercising that 1 Corinthians 13 “love is patient, love is kind” brand of love.
Like many teens, Erika had some terrible angst-ridden days in high school when she didn’t feel like sharing her problems with any of he
r family or friends. They wouldn’t understand. They would half-listen in their busyness. They’d offer well-meaning but tired old clichés she didn’t need. It was times like this that Erika would go out to the backyard and visit with Missy.
Good ol’ Missy was always there. She wouldn’t be on the phone, playing computer games, working on a project, or in the middle of an addictive TV series. Missy was a 24/7 friend. She had amazing intuition and knew exactly how to minister to Erika. Sometimes they’d play. Other times they’d just sit on the grass and stare into space together. Missy would know exactly when to turn to Erika and give her a little lick on the cheek. It was magic. Erika’s gloom would lift and a smile would break through. The six-year-old in Erika would return and she’d blow on Missy’s nose, triggering Missy’s turbo lick response. Next thing you knew, Missy would be licking Erika’s face like an ice cream cone. It would have looked gross to an outside observer but it was pure joy for Erika and Missy.
Erika didn’t realize how important Missy was to her until she moved out to go to college. When Erika felt down, she couldn’t just pop into the backyard and let Missy lick away her blues. She couldn’t call Missy up and have a heart-to-heart. And since keypads aren’t exactly paw-friendly, forget texting. So for those college years, Erika and Missy had to wait for a school break or summer to be together. They went for walks or sat outside staring into other dimensions, just enjoying being in each other’s presence.
In between her junior and senior year, Erika decided to move to Los Angeles for the summer. She was a film major and wanted to explore the possibilities in the entertainment capital of the world. It was during this time that her parents called and told her Missy had cancer. Erika’s immediate thought was to go home and be there for her dear friend of 15 years. Erika could barely remember a time when Missy wasn’t in her life. They had literally grown up together.
But Erika had a job in LA. She had made new friends, and one in particular that made her stay amazingly memorable. She grew up in new ways and realized that her experiences over this summer were profoundly shaping her future. It was a very exciting time.
Then there was Missy, 2,000 miles away in the tiny Midwestern town of Hanover, Minnesota. Missy was in terrible pain and growing worse each day. Erika struggled, not knowing what to do. She couldn’t drop everything right now and go back home—or could she? Feelings of guilt consumed her. She prayed God would keep Missy alive until summer was over, until she could finish what she came to LA to do.
Missy didn’t make it. She died three weeks before Erika’s planned return. The night her parents put Missy down, they tried to feed her but she wouldn’t eat. She kept trying to stand but she’d just fall over with her tail wagging the whole time. Missy adored her family and to the very end tried to be the same cheerful, loving, and loyal dog she’d always been.
Erika still feels guilty she wasn’t there when Missy needed her most. Was she just plain selfish for staying in LA the whole summer? If Erika had known in advance that Missy would get sick and pass away, maybe she would’ve put off the trip until later. Maybe she would’ve asked her parents to take Missy with her to California. Maybe this, maybe that.
There are no easy answers for Erika. There are no instant remedies or greeting card platitudes that will make everything better. It’s not like Erika can phone God’s hotline to ask if she did the right thing. It’d be so nice if the Lord could FedEx a pill from heaven to instantly dissolve her feelings of guilt and selfishness—but that’s not how it works.
We have all gone through times when we wonder if we did the right thing. Black-and-white guilt is easier in a way. But gray-area guilt is what we deal with more often.
Should I have come home earlier to spend time with my terminally ill dog?
Should I have worked less and spent more time with my children when they were young?
Should I have taken more time with my elderly parents before they died?
Once the time has passed, once the window of opportunity has closed, there is no second chance to do things over. There is only dealing with one’s perception and memories.
If you are currently looking into a mirror and seeing a guilty face, whether it be in shades of gray or in stark black and white, there is a solution in Scripture. It doesn’t promise to be a quick fix or easy answer. It just points you in the right direction to deal with your very real feelings of guilt and personal condemnation. It points you to a choice: to embrace or to reject a personal relationship with Christ. Unlike many other options in life, this window of opportunity, this invitation from Jesus, is available for as long as you live—no matter how guilty you feel, no matter what you’ve done.
With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death (Romans 8:1-2 MSG).
Consider This:
Who are your most hopelessly devoted friends and loved ones? How have they been faithful to you? How have you been there for them? How has God shown Himself faithful in your life?
A Crate and a Manger
When We Fail, God’s Love Doesn’t
Though our feelings come and go,
God’s love for us does not.
C.S. LEWIS
Morgan was a little Sheltie mix I adopted as a two-year-old rescue. He saw me as his savior and adored me. I adored him too—but not his bathroom habits. He kept having accidents in the house. I was told it would help the training process if I crated him when I couldn’t keep an eye on him.
Christmas afternoon was one of those times. I was going visiting for several hours, and hoping to prevent any mishaps, I left Morgan in his crate. When I got home that night, it seemed the tactic had succeeded. I let him and my other dog, Biscuit, out to do their business. Once they were back inside, I went to change clothes. In that short time, Morgan messed in the house yet again. In spite of all my efforts, he’d still blown it. And I lost it.
I knew I loved this dog dearly. I knew my yard was fenced and gated. I knew I didn’t mean what was coming out of my mouth. But I needed to vent. I put Morgan outside, in the fenced and gated yard, and told him to go live somewhere else.
Three minutes later I was running up the outdoor steps to my back fence, calling the little guy. When he came I gathered him in my arms. I plopped down on a step, wept into his fur, and told him that no matter what he did, I would always love him. I told him he was going nowhere. He was mine, no matter how badly he blew it, no matter how many times he messed.
Suddenly, out in the cold on Christmas night, with my little dog in my arms, it hit me. What a picture of my relationship with God! Through faith in Jesus’s death for my sins, I was adopted into God’s family…just as I’d adopted Morgan into mine. But I still sinned. I still kept “messing.” Even so, God didn’t put me out and tell me to go live somewhere else. He loved me so much that He was not willing to part with me, even though I deserved it (so much more than my dog did). So, figuratively speaking, He did with me what I did with Morgan. He gathered me into His lap, wept over me, and forgave me.
God used that Christmas experience with Morgan as a living parable in my life to pull back a curtain on the depths of His love. Centuries earlier, He did the same with the prophet Hosea. God asked Hosea to make his life a living illustration to Israel, showing them that despite their messes, His love would stay true. He told Hosea to marry an adulteress. Hosea took Gomer to be his wife, but she was unfaithful—just as Israel had been unfaithful to God. God told Hosea to go after Gomer and redeem her. In Hosea 3:1-2 we read, “The LORD said to me, ‘Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.’ So I bought her for
fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley.”
Ultimately, God bought all of us with the precious blood of His Son.
Morgan’s accidents lessened in time, but he never had a perfect record. Neither have I, in this life! But what the training crate of the law couldn’t do, a manger could. God sent His Son to clean up my sin mess so that despite my failures, I can bask in His unfailing love forever!
Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins (Psalm 130:7-8).
Consider This:
Can you think of a time when you “messed,” but the people it hurt loved you anyway? How did this impact your life? How has God loved you even when you let Him down? Is there someone in your life God is calling you to love this way?
Diablo, Or Not?
Love Can Conquer Our Devils
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only
light can do that. Hate cannot drive
out hate; only love can do that.
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
The pressing question for Ryan on one never-to-be-forgotten night was whether the name would fit. That applied both to the girl he was taking on their first date, and the big, growling dog he would have to get past to do it.
Actually, Ryan had only the highest expectations for the girl. He loved her name—Bella, which means beautiful. He thought she was the most gorgeous girl he had ever met in his young life. They’d gotten to know each other at school. They were in a few classes together and talked at lunch. Her smile lit up her face and brightened Ryan’s world every time he saw it. He loved telling her silly stories about his fishing and hunting trips and seeing her grin in response.