Thinking Out LoudWe have an 11-week-old puppy at home, Bonnie the border collie, and – amid the turmoil, challenges, delights and unbearable cuteness – she has been reminding me of important lessons about God.
The first key truth is her irrepressible enthusiasm and openness to every new experience, even the vet, who shoved a thermometer up her backside, a vaccine up her nose, a needle in her back and drops in her eyes.
She seems to expect each minute to bring something good, whether it is spent in frantic dashing around the garden, leaping into the face of our older dog (the only member of the family not totally convinced Bonnie is a blessing) or in exhausted repose.
As a border collie, she is naturally super-smart. She learned to sit with merely three repetitions of the command (most dogs take 20-100 repetitions, and pugs or French bulldogs around 25,000), showing the importance of attention.
Bonnie’s unshakeable trust in me is a model for how to trust God. She knows intuitively that I desire the best for her, even though I know how fallible I am. Unlike me, God does not make mistakes.
Her uncritical acceptance acts as a reminder of God’s instruction to love generously and patiently, while – as all dog lovers know – she also brings the sort of simple joy and companionship that is priceless. Dogs offer something of the unconditional love of God, from their own nature rather than because of our virtues.
What most humans – and certainly I – can learn from our dogs is to live in the moment, to rejoice always. Above all is the lesson Jesus teaches in the Sermon on the Mount: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” Every dog knows that, and I should too.
This Thinking Out Loud was first published on Facebook.