Dog Park …

We took my daughter’s dog, Jackson, to a dog park in Atlanta. When I was growing up, we did not have dog parks. Our dogs were outside dogs, though I vaguely remember Mama letting one dog on the porch during a hurricane. Our dogs had all the room they needed to run and exercise, hundreds of acres of orange grove and pasture that either belonged to us or to one of our aunts. 

Each dog park is different. The one we went to smelled like a thousand dogs had done their business there, probably because a thousand dogs had done their business there. My daughter’s dog, Jackson, is a sweet, timid mix of whippet and hound. He enjoys the park, but he is not the most social dog. If you are not familiar with dog behavior, dogs greet other dogs by sniffing, shall we say, private parts. Jackson enjoys sniffing others but does not care to be sniffed. 

Other dogs at the park that day were not as shy. They would sniff, jump, run and play. At one point, there was a race through the dog park involving a black lab, a German shepherd, some kind of mixed breed, and a very short terrier. The lab and the German shepherd were neck and neck, but they would eventually collide, and the terrier would leap into the pile. There was no biting or fighting, just tussling. 

After Jackson, probably the shyest dog at the park was a pit bull. Yes, I know they are supposed to be aggressive dogs, but this one clung to his owner’s side like a kindergartener on his first day of school, clinging to his mother. It was clear he did not want to be there and was eager to leave. Most of the dogs, however, were relieved to be off the leash. Within the confines of the fence, they knew the sheer joy of being a dog. 

Watching all the dogs, I wondered if the reason God gives us commandments is so we can run free in our lives within safe boundaries? Jesus said all the laws of the Old Testament could be summed up like this: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. 

Just think about what would happen if we followed those two laws. If we loved God with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength, wouldn’t we have a better set of priorities for life? Wouldn’t we live without anxiety, knowing God loves us and wants good for us? Wouldn’t our guilt evaporate because we would trust God has forgiven us? 

If we loved each other (meaning that we want good for other people), wouldn’t our world be a better place? Wouldn’t it change what gets posted on social media? Wouldn’t we stop and help people in need? Wouldn’t we love the least of these because we see Jesus in them? 

If we really love God and then really love people, maybe we could feel the freedom to run through life, not drag ourselves through every day. Maybe we could experience joy in relationships. Maybe we could even make friends faster and enjoy a tussle, not a fight. 

At the dog park, about every five minutes, an owner would call to his dog. Sometimes the dogs came quickly; sometimes, they continued to romp and play until the owner could catch them and re-attach them to their leashes. Some of the dogs put a little resistance to leaving, but most willingly followed their master back to the car, loaded up, and were eager for the next stop of the day. 

I wonder if this is what death is like for those who follow Jesus. One day, our master calls us. Because this is all we know, we might be reluctant to go right away. But he comes for us and leads us to a place better than this earth, better than any dog park. It is the place he has made for us, where there is a room with our name on it, a place where we love our God and feel his deep love for us. 

I read a quote not too long ago: “Most of a dog’s life is spent waiting for the one they love to come home.”  The quote made me think about my Father in heaven, waiting for the day I come home to him.