The day that Misha ran away: A story about our Father’s love…..
It was a beautiful sunny day here in Antigua, Guatemala. I woke up early and wanted to take our team dog Misha for a run with me up to the cross that overlooked the city. We had a great run up to the cross and we were resting up on the hill looking at the cross overlooking the city on such a beautiful day. As we sat there quietly, I petted Misha reflecting and praying to The Lord about the day…I felt so much peace.
Then suddenly some teenagers lit off fireworks pretty close to us that were very, very loud. It scared me and really scared Misha. She suddenly tugged so hard that it tore the leash and she went off sprinting down the road. I ran after her as fast as I could, but within a matter of seconds she was out of my sight no where to be seen. I quickly called my teammates to ask them to drive the van up to help me find her, but knew I would be on my own for a while because our house was around two miles away.
As I ran down the road calling her name, six or seven different people who couldn’t speak English directed me and pointed me in the direction of the road that they saw her running. I must have ran at least two miles away from the cross when I met a man jogging on the road. He spoke English and told me that he saw her running but that she must be at least a mile ahead of where I was at. He flagged down a truck for me and then I found myself jumping in the back of a pickup truck to try and track down our dog. They brought me to a town way up on a hill that soon became a mountain. My friends met up with me there and we went off for another three hours or so to look for Misha.
But she was no where to be found…
A bunch of emotions ran through my head. Emotions such as anger, sadness, fear, insecurity, along with anxiety of what others would think of me. Even though I was holding onto the leash tightly and the leash ripped in half, I feared that others would blame me and say it was my fault.
God spoke to me in this moment and told me that for so very long I have cared so much about what others thought of me. He told me that He is using this situation to teach me and help me become more grounded, rooted, and secure in him and his truth. He reminded me that I know the truth of what really happened. He told me he wants be to be secure and to rest in that truth and in His presence rather than being so concerned with what others think, judge, or perceive about me and the situation.
So after looking for Misha for a couple of hours down vast roads and dirt trails we all decided to go back home to rest and get some food, because we were all exhausted. After we got home and rested and ate some food, we gathered as a team together to talk and pray about what had happened. I was amazed at the grace and understanding that my team members had for me and the whole situation. I was amazed at not just the words that they spoke, but the way that they called me higher in not taking the blame for what had happened. They encouraged me to not let the enemy (devil) or anyone else tell me that it was my fault and put the blame on me when they all knew the truth that it wasn’t my fault. They reminded me that there is no condemnation in Christ but only grace, forgiveness, and redemption in His love. We ended the meeting by praying for Misha and trusting in our Fathers provision, goodness, and love.
Even though we were scared, sad, and worried….we decided to trust that He was in this situation with us and declared that we won’t let this situation rattle our peace in Him. We chose to trust that He will work through this situation no matter what the outcome is trusting that he works all things together for the good of those who love him (us) and who have been called and created for his purpose (Romans 8:28).
Later that night when I got home from a dinner meeting that I had scheduled with friends who are ministry partners with our team, I came back to the house. I was very, very tired from the day with a pounding headache. I was very worried about Misha because it was storming and raining outside pretty heavily. I was also very worried about telling her owner and Dad (our team leader Noe) about her running away. Noe was at the hospital all day because he was sick so he heard about her running away, but I was still very nervous to talk to him about it.
As I got home, I almost went right to bed to avoid having to talk with him, but God told me to go upstairs to see and talk with him. Before I continue I would like to add that Noe is honestly one of the most graceful, understanding, patient, and compassionate men of God that I have ever met In my life. I say this because there was no reason for me to be nervous or worried about talking to him besides of the own fear of rejection and accusation that I let myself talk me into having.
Memories of my childhood flashed back when I lost my dog and got into trouble for it. Other memories of getting blamed for things came to mind when they weren’t really my fault. See somewhere along the road of growing up the lie got in grained within me for taking responsibility for mistakes that were not all my fault. So I fell into the bad habit of always saying “i’m sorry” to people and for taking credit for faults that were not my own to carry within conflicts that I had.
As I walked into Noe’s room I cracked the door and was planning on quickly just asking how he was feeling. Noe asked me to come in to talk. As I shut the door and walked in he reached out his arms to hug me. But instead of just hugging me, he held me as an older brother to let me know that it was okay. He looked me in the eyes and told me that it was not my fault and that I did not lose Misha, but Misha ran away. He said, “there is grace and that I want you to have grace for yourself Ryan.” As we sat there and talked, I felt my heavenly Father speaking through my older brother figure and friend into my life shifting perspectives and past struggles that I have had rooted within me of always blaming myself for accidents and events in my life that were not all my fault. God used Noe and this situation with Misha to uproot my past ways of thinking in filling it with his God’s grace and love for me as my his son.
God spoke to me through that moment and I felt his grace in a deeper way that helped me realize his love more and the true gift of son-ship that he has freely given me through Jesus Christ. He showed me that he is not a God of condemnation or blame, but a God of understanding, grace, and love.
As I gave Noe a hug and thanked him. I walked downstairs said goodnight to my teammates and went into my room to go to bed. As I could hear it thundering and storming loudly outside as the rain poured down near my open window, my thoughts turned to Misha once again. I wondered where she was and if she was safe in the storm of the rain pouring down.
I knelt down to get on my knees to pray for her and say a prayer before I tried to get some sleep. I prayed for her and asked God to protect her and lead her back home safely. I then started to pray the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:2-4) and as I was praying, I suddenly heard a slight jingle from outside. I quickly turned around and looked wide eyed at my roommate Henri. He said, “What man?” I quickly grabbed my shoes and ran outside in the rain to unlock the outside gate to see if what I was possible hearing could in fact be the hope that I hoped for. As I opened our gate I saw a shadow approaching and in walked Misha!!! I was so excited, I yelled so loud “Misha’s home!!!” I yelled so loud that my voice cracked and I sounded like a little girl haha. But I was so happy I didn’t even care. I yelled so loud that I scared Misha and she ran into the house soaking wet from the rain into all of the girls and teammates arms that jumped off the couch in amazement and excitement to see her!
Our whole team gathered around her crying in happiness while hugging, kissing, and feeding her!!! We didn’t care that she was soaking wet and that she smelled but we all rejoiced in the one that we loved who we thought had been lost forever.
As tears swelled up in my eyes, I was completely amazed that she found her way home. She had ran up into the mountains being at least 5 miles away from our house. I also was amazed at the timing of her coming home. It was in the moment that I was on my knees praying to God for his help and her safety that he returned her. In his timing he made it perfect and one again amazed me!
I wonder if that was a glimpse of what the father felt in the story of the prodigal son in the book of Luke chapter 15:11-32 that is written within the Bible. The father in that story thought he had lost his son forever, but one day when he least expected it he saw his son walking in the distance returning home. The father ran as fast as he could to his son and embraced him with his love. The father didn’t care about the mistakes or even hurt that his son had caused him from the past. The father didn’t care about how dirty or smelly his son was or how bad he looked, but he was filled with joy and love because the one he loved who he thought he had lost forever had now returned back home!
The joy that I felt when seeing our dog Misha return home is only a glimpse of what our Heavenly Father’s joy and love is for us when we return home to him by believing and accepting the love of His one and only true Son Jesus Christ into our hearts And lives. Christ is the way to truly being home with God. Christ himself even says in John 14:23 that anyone who loves and accepts Christ will obey his teachings and that then He and his Father will come and make their home within them.
So wherever you are today and whatever your going through…know that your Father is running after you, looking for you, and waiting for you to return home to him. No matter what you have done in the past or how smelly and dirty you are, that won’t matter to him. The only thing that will matter is that His child whom he loves (you) who was once lost, has now been found and returned back home to Him…
Our Heavenly Father will be waiting for all of us with open arms full of love and grace overflowing with everlasting joy!
God bless you and know matter what season of life you are in…know that you are not alone in this journey of life. When we believe and accept Jesus into our hearts, we are not only saved, but we are given the gift of God’s Holy Spirit to live within us, protect us, guide us, and empower us with His living love and true life.
I leave you with a promise from our Lord and Savior of how you are not alone and how you will never be alone:
“I will not leave you as orphans, but I will come to you.”
– Jesus Christ our Lord and our Savior (John 14:18).
“So He got up and went home to his father. But while he was still a long way off his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘quick bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is now alive again; he was once lost but now is found.’ So they began to celebrate and rejoice!”
– Luke 15:20-24
Misha relaxing the next day after a long day’s journey the day before!
