Through the Eyes of a Dog

Have you ever gotten home from a long day at work to be greeted at the door by an excited dog?  I can go outside for just a minute and when I walk back inside, my dogs act like they haven’t seen me for days.  Both of them are fighting for my undivided attention.  They can lift my spirits in a second if I’ve had a rough day just by their enthusiasm.  They don’t care if my gray roots are showing, if my makeup is fresh, if my toenails are painted, or how much I weigh.  They only know that I care about them, and because of that, they are willing to be completely devoted to me unconditionally.

What would happen if we looked at the world through the eyes of a dog?  What would happen if we just saw people and their needs, and we cared about the soul and not the body? 

Many of us look at someone and think we have all the answers to their problems.  If they would just lose weight…; if they would just stop smoking…; if they would just quit drinking…, and the list goes on and on with the judgments we place on other people.  What we often fail to realize is that those things we think are so simple to fix are usually just symptoms of a deeper problem.  If we look at the greatest example ever set for us, we see Jesus ministering to the needs of the people first.  He didn’t sit in the corner with his apostles, pointing fingers at people saying,

                “Look at that guy over there, John.  He’s so fat, and he’s eating another mutton burger.  If he would just stop stuffing his face, all of his problems would go away.” 

                “Hey, Peter.  Look at the way that girl is dressed and that cigarette hanging out of her mouth.  She needs to straighten up and read her scrolls.”

                “Oh, Andrew. Look at that homeless guy there.  If he would just get a job instead of trying to bum money from people, he could live in a tent like yours.”

No one would follow a savior if he sat around analyzing the world that way, but many of us make these statements every single day of our lives.  We justify these statements by pretending to care, but we are no better than the Pharisee who stood on the street corner praying, “Thank you, Lord, that I am not like him…”  Let’s face it; we just don’t want to get our hands dirty. We don’t want to interrupt our perfect little world.  We don’t want to get to know someone at a deeper level.  It’s easier to sit back and judge than it is to give a warm smile, a soft touch, or to ask someone what they need. 

You can’t help anyone help themselves until you are willing to meet them where they are no matter how dirty that place might be.  Poring judgments and guilt on someone will do absolutely nothing to help them.  If the greatest example this world has ever known won people’s hearts by washing dirty feet and meeting people at a heart level, then why do we think we can do it any other way?  Would you be willing to follow someone who did it any other way?

So, perk up your ears, wag your tail, and lick the feet of everyone you see, and I guarantee you the world will change.

Blessings,
Penny Fell