More than Dog Loyalty
My dog escaped this morning — EARLY this morning. I padded out to the kitchen around 6 am today. As per routine, I opened the back door to let the dog do his morning business in the back yard. I proceeded to make coffee and unload the dishwasher. I finally poured my first cup of joe and realized my dog still hadn’t returned to be allowed entrance back into the house. So out I go, in my pj’s, in the cold, onto the deck where I discover that one of the gates has been left open and my little adventurer has disappeared.
For the next 45 minutes to an hour my husband and I search for our dog. Not easy… it’s still dark and our dog is black. Just as we have decided to go home and hope our precious mutt returns, we see him headed our way. My emotions were a mixture of relief and pure annoyance. I get the dog to take him inside and my husband hurries to take his shower, eat quickly and head to work. I finally sit down to have my quiet time, but my heart isn’t really quiet. I don’t feel angry but that annoyance of spending the first hour of my day in the cold looking for my dog is lingering.
God began to speak some truth to me. My dog was glad to be home. He was a bit sorry as one could tell by his tucked in tail and the fact that he kept rolling over to show me his belly. The reality is though that if he was loosed into the back yard tomorrow and the gate was open, he would most likely go adventuring again. My dog doesn’t get true repentance, and I knew I needed to ask the tough question: do I understand true repentance or do I too often act like my dog? Do I want to be home with Jesus, and dwell where He is AND also go adventuring at times and do whatever I want. When I ramble back home after adventuring, do I want to get by with a little tuck of my tail and a showing of my belly to prove that I am willing to submit to God’s authority?
In my quiet time I read about Enoch. Enoch never died, he just got an awesome trip straight to heaven. He literally disappeared from earth. Enoch is decribed as a person who pleased God. It doesn’t say that Enoch did anything wildly important. Enoch wasn’t a CEO, or someone super famous. Enoch didn’t invent the latest coolest gadget. Enoch wasn’t everyone’s favorite teacher or coach. Enoch was just a guy who pleased God. Enoch didn’t want to leave the yard to go adventuring; Enoch wanted to be where God was all the time. Enoch wanted to be with God, hang out with God, talk to God, know God, and do whatever he could to make God happy. And because of that Enoch is listed among the faithful in Hebrews 11.
I was struck by the idea that God just wants me to be like Enoch. He isn’t asking me to do things that others will identify as impressively important. He hasn’t asked me to sell everything I own and move to a country on the other side of the world. He’s asking me to be focused on Him alone. I haven’t been adventuring lately, but God wants more from me than just dog loyalty. God wants priority commitment. God wants me to long to please Him more than anything else I do. God wants me to live like Enoch, all for the glory of His great name. Now that’s loyalty.
