Recently our dog, Skippy, did something that displeased us. He knew that he did wrong and slid under my son's bed to hide, thinking that we would never find him there. (He should have pulled his tail all of the way in with him.) We could see him under there. We knew that he knew that he had done wrong. We did not have to "bad dog" him to add to his guilt. He knew that he had done wrong and he hoped that we wouldn't discover his misdeeds...but we did.
His actions reminded me of the first couple created by God, Adam and Eve. When they listened to the serpent and did what was forbidden, they sinned. How did they know that they were wrong? Because when they sinned by eating of the forbidden fruit, the very first thing they lost was their innocence. They knew that they were naked and hid themselves.
When God came down to walk and talk with them in the cool of the day, he called out to them, "Adam, Where are you?" Adam did not answer. He knew that he had blown it and they were afraid. In the perfect world up unto that moment, there was no fear. Adam trusted God explicitly.
The same thing happened to the pooch. He went and hid under the bed, ashamed and afraid. He did not have to be afraid just because he had done wrong. We still loved him even though we were displeased with him for what he did. We tried repeatedly to get him to come out from under the dark and dusty confines of the "under-bed world". Yet, he stubbornly remained under the bed.
We tried everything we could think of to lure him out of there, but we were not successful. We tried lifting the load from him by raising the bed a little. That didn't work. So we reached under the bed and tried to pull him out, yet he stubbornly refused to budge. Next, we tried to lure him out with a treat, but he knew that treats were for good dogs, and that was not what he was. He refused to even sniff at the treat, turning his head away. Finally, the thought came to me, "Lead him out on a leash." We fastened the leash on his collar and he slid out easily. But, this is not the end of the story...
What happened next was a huge lesson to me. We chained him outside for a while. It was a nice day and the weather was warm. He instantly went to the end of his chain, turned his back and refused to look toward the house. He stuck his nose in the air and remained so for hours. He was deeply offended and hurt. We had to correct him. He thought that we no longer loved him, yet that was the furthest thing from the truth. We were trying to take care of him and teach him that even though we were displeased, we still loved him.
Skippy sat there for a couple of hours, his back turned on the ones who loved him, the ones who cared for him, who fed him and provided for his every need. You know, that is how people act when it comes to the family of God. Perhaps something is said or done to hurt them and they turn their backs on the ones who truly love them and care for them. They stop responding to others and walk away from the relationship they had with God and His children.
They refuse to even look back at the house where others are waiting for them to return. They remember only the pit that they were in, the hurt that they felt, the wrongs that either they did or someone else did to them. They can't fathom grace and forgiveness...and they sit there all alone, outside, away from the tender care and mercy of the Master. They think they have committed the unpardonable sin and could never be forgiven. That is a lie. The Master always forgives when we ask Him to... but we have to do the asking! We have to admit our wrongs and He will forgive.
Don't be like Skippy sitting all alone on the end of the chain sulking for hours on end.
Respond to the call of the Master. He is standing at the door of the House with his arms open wide to welcome you back inside.
That is what Skippy found when he realized that he was loved. When he got over his snit, he was welcomed inside where he was hugged and petted. All was forgiven and he basked in it.
That would not have happened if Skippy had not made the choice to allow us to lead him out of the "pit" and into the sunshine and ultimately to restoration. It won't happen in your life unless you let the Master lead you out into the sunshine of His love and grace and mercy, ultimately to to His home where there will be an eternal round of hugs awaiting...
Donna McHugh
