Previously (see recent blogs posted here), I told you how Candy would clasp Delores’ hands between her paws and lay her head on Delores’ lap in bed, for extended periods of time. All part of her ministry of comfort and presence. Likewise at the funeral. (No, not with Delores, who lay so pristine and serene in the casket, but with mourning members of the immediate family.)
Delores and her family loved both God and dogs all their life. Dog-lovers everywhere allege God and dog alike reflect unconditional love. Both God and Dog are there for us, all day, no matter what. Both are so accepting, so forgiving, so happy to see us—even after we neglect them for periods of time. We enjoy being the object of these four-legged, ever-loving beings who reflect the love of God. Dogs provide the tangible presence of God, with skin on, or rather fur, especially my dog, with its feel-good, curly black fur.
Dogs have a way of curling up at our feet, nuzzling, or laying their head on our lap. That kind of sensitivity and affection was even on display amidst my funeral message and follow-up conversations, as Candy bonded with one mourning family member after another. No matter what room or what state of mind we’re in, our dogs want to follow and be there with us and for us. We are “dogged” every step of the way. There are no off limits with Candy: as a guide dog-in training, she goes everywhere I go, even to this funeral I was preaching at.
Extending the analogy, God yearns to draw close to us. He does not want to be confined to certain times or places. God is a jealous God who does not want to be boxed in or fenced off, as we do with our dog, tethered at arm’s length, limiting the relationship. Is not God rather a relentless Divine Pursuer, as in the “Hound of Heaven,” who chases us down through the many twists and turns of our life on the run until we slow down, stop, turn around and say to our loving Pursuer from Heaven: “Amen” and welcome His loving embrace.
So God is with us when we wake up, when we go about our work day or our house and shop and field. He is there as we meet and greet others, and as we prepare and take part in breaking our daily bread and in sharing fellowship and intimacy with our life partner. Our love as parents and partners is frail by comparison to God or dogs. Love for one another is so often predicated on what-have-you-done-for-me-lately. And so I wonder, Do I reciprocate, or share wiht others, the divine love so freely given for that purpose?
God wants a relationship with us 24/7. And good thing He does, as we cannot be there to guide or provide or protect our loved ones every hour of the day, every day of the week. But God can! The Hound of Heaven was there hovering over Delores, even curling up next to her in the person of canine and human friends alike, then taking her by hand the rest of the way to complete her journey of faith and healing.
As you walk together—you and your dog or you and your God—sing and think on these things: “Just a Closer Walk with Thee,” “Trust and Obey, for There’s No Other Way,” and "Precious Lord, Take My Hand."