So, Jessie has been content to live life in the Stewart back yard for the past seven years. She's grown up here, sleeping in her heated dog house in colder months, and on the deck when it's warm. She's passed her time chasing squirrels, killing moles, and scaring off birds. She loves to swim in the pool in the summer, often jumping in and putting in a few laps all on her own when no one else is out there. And her favorite past-time has been bringing us her "frisbee" (which is really the lid off an old chlorine container) to throw so she can retrieve it. She's been on frequent walks around the neighborhood, and a few weeks ago she killed a copperhead that was on our deck. (Jeff was about to kill it when she grabbed it in her mouth and shook it violently until it broke in half!) All in all, she's lived a happy and fun life here. This is the only home she's ever known... until now.We are in the process of selling our house/purchasing a new one. Knowing that it would not be the best scenario to have an 80-pound dog greeting prospective buyers, we asked some friends to keep Jessie for us while we are showing the house. They agreed, and Jeff took her over to their house about a mile away one Saturday morning a few weeks back. She looked to be in doggy heaven in their vast backyard! Our friends told us that they might have a couple of weak areas in their fence, but they thought, for the most part, she would be contained. She seemed to be acclimating well to her new surrounding and warming up nicely to her new humans. Or so we thought...
Early on Wednesday morning after relocating Jessie, I went outside to pull the trash container up to the street and was startled as I heard a large animal galloping toward me. I turned around to be greeted by a very happy and excited Jessie! She jumped all over me, licking me, as if to say, "I'm back! I know how much you missed me! Aren't you glad I'm home?!" She then ran to the back yard gate and looked at me like, "Well...aren't you going to let me in?"
She hadn't been that far away, but we still marveled at how she found her way home since she was taken to our friends' house by car. She's never liked fireworks, and would usually take refuge from them under our deck -- my guess is that on Tuesday evening - the 4th of July - when the fireworks started, she got scared and decided she needed to get HOME! So she did!
Home. I read that dogs can use their amazing sense of smell to find their way home from great distances. Dogs also bond with their owners, and especially in Jessie's case, when one home and one family is all they've ever known. Jessie's strong desire to get home led her to do whatever it took to make it happen, even scraping up her snout and gouging her cheek in the process. She was willing to do whatever it took to get home and back to her people.
I was thinking about this as it relates to my spiritual life. Do I have that same kind of desire when it comes to my efforts to get home to heaven? Do I desire above all else to be with God? In the short-term, do I long to spend time with God in prayer and study of His word, and are His people, my people? What about in the process of the journey through life, do I feel uncomfortable when I venture out of the presence and influence of God's people into unknown and worldly environments? Do I do whatever it takes to get back home?
We've tried again with Jessie. We took her to another friend who lives a lot farther away. He has several other dogs, a lot of land, and even some horses for Jessie's amusement. She seems to be adjusting well there, and I'm sure she's happy. But I would venture to guess that given the opportunity, she would try again to find her way home.
I hope I always have that same sense of "belonging" when it comes to my relationship with my Master. And I'm thankful for the things God places in our lives - like Jessie - to remind us of how strong that desire should always be.
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