Story by Bryan Hupperts
When I was a very young boy I had a horrific fear of animals, specifically dogs. I had been attacked and bitten by a dog and they frightened me. I don’t remember where we were that day, but it was on a farm. I was walking looking at awe at all of the penned up animals. They were huge! During my exploration, I spied, sitting across a field, a very large monster of a dog. We made brief eye contact and I turned and began to run away. I could hear it barking, getting closer and closer; closing the gap between us. I gave a fearful glance over my shoulder and sure enough, the mutt was charging me! And then I was on the ground. The dog had jumped and knocked me down.
I remember screaming bloody murder begging the animal not to hurt me. It pinned me helpless to the ground with its’ beastly muddy paws – and the brute began to quite happily lick away at my face with doggie drool dripping from its’ oversized boy-eating tongue. All that goofy mutt was trying to do was give me a slurpy pooch smooch!
Oftentimes, because we live in a world inverted, even perverted, by sin. Our first response when something comes to us is to react with fear and suspicion. My first reaction when I saw the dog was to be very afraid and to run far, far away. I saw what appeared to be a huge shaggy monster, magnified through my fears, that was going to eat me. And the truth was it was just a family dog being a dog. I was his intended plaything, not his dinner.
The world devours people – God desires people. The love of God often frightens people. His kindness is meant to bring us to repentance. Just like the dog, He sometimes even has to knock us down to get our attention. It isn’t so He can devour us, but so that He can love on us. When God wounds, it’s with the intent to heal. When he chastens, He is dealing with us as his sons. Remember that God is Love Incarnate, and the Perfect Love casts out fear. Don’t be surprised at the suspicions of the lost when you confront them with the message of Jesus. It is such Good News it looks almost too good to be true. They often expect that God is chasing them down just like that big dog, so He can judge and devour them. The sweetness of His salvation and the tenderness of His healing touch can be quite a shock, especially when you’re expecting to be devoured!
