Travel anywhere in the world and you will find a number of street dogs. Of course, it is common that these dogs are forgotten and mistreated. However, being a dog lover myself, it is a common practice of mine to greet all creatures I pass by. One particular day I was in Mae Sot, Thailand. Mae Sot is a town that borders Myanmar. It is a town that is basically created/sustained by the influx of Burmese refugees due to the years of conflict, civil war, and genocide that have persisted in Myanmar.
For about one week every morning and every evening, a stray dog would come visit me upon our team’s arrival at our work site for the month. He would also make sure to visit me once again before I left for the day each day. These moments were full of pure bliss for both parties. They were filled with ear scratches, kind words, and doggie snuggles. After about 10-15 minutes of our affectionate interaction, he’d happily trot off down the road. As the week went on I happily waited for my new friend to come visit me. Even if he didn’t stop by I would notice him in the distance joyfully running around and silently wish he would come over to say hello.
One day it occurred to me that having faith in God was kind of like this.
In this story we, humans, are the dog. We know that God will always be there for us every moment of the day. We know we can quickly run to God in case we need a quick snuggle or some encouraging words. Even on our good days God watches us from a distance and longs for our company; even a quick hello would do the trick. However, most of us forget that God is so in love with each of us he wants us to be daily in his presence. Just like the dog, we run about our day only turning to God when we feel like we need some encouragement or love. In the midst of our busy lives our souls should rest in the loving presence of God knowing that He will never leave us even when we stray. God happily awaits for our return always welcoming us back home.
Even if I could only provide cuddles and ear scratches to this dog for a short amount of time, my heart longs for doggie snuggles everyday. God is longing for you to come home and get your daily snuggles and walk with him forever. So don’t let those moments pass you by.
