Rescue Dog

Rescue Dog

We have two dogs in our house.  One, a magnificent 90 lb German Shepherd whose appearance would grace the cover of any canine calendar or periodical.  The other, a 12 lb scruff of wiry gray fur… the runt-of-the-litter… a purported terrier mix (an assertion all other terriers strongly contest).  She sports a slight limp, a stub tail, and ears that put her in the lineage of Yoda.

This funny creature arrived to us from a rescue organization.  They found her on a roadside with a broken leg and shattered tail -- but despite her troubled past, she’s surprisingly mobile.  When attached to her lead in the yard, she has a knack for quickly wrapping herself around every available object in the most incomprehensible way.  Within minutes, her leash resembles the layout for the Cyclone at Coney Island.

We normally hear a few whimpers and know it’s time to save her from the latest entanglement. But if it’s unusually quiet, it typically means she’s really stuck.  We’ll never figure out why she goes silent when she needs us the most.

Christians are not much different than our little rescue dog.  We've been saved from a bleak past, and given new life with a loving family.  Even so, we still manage to get stuck in problems of our own making.  If the trail of our spiritual lives was mapped out, it might often resemble the path of that tangled leash.

The question to ask ourselves:  is it our first instinct to ask God for help when we get off track, or do we stay silent?  Sometimes we may feel embarrassed and attempt to work things out ourselves before seeking help from God.  Sometimes we ignore our pressing issues because we may not really want to change them (even though we should).  Sometimes the deeper we get into trouble, the less eager we are to admit we need help.

1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” [emphasis added]  

And Psalm 50:15 says, “Call on me in the day of trouble and I will deliver you.”

Think about it – there’s never a legitimate reason to delay getting God involved.  He’s listening for us, and wants to come to our rescue when we’re in need.  Why hesitate?  He cares for us, and He can untangle our situation in a way we can’t do on our own.  We just need to ask.

- Ron Reid