Lost Dog – Devotion for
As I have mentioned a time or two, my family and I have a 6 year old Golden Retriever named Riley. Riley is an outdoor dog, and we have one of those underground radio fences and he wear a special collar that beeps, buzzes, and finally gives him a small shock if he crosses the line out of the yard. I say a “small shock,” but I really wouldn’t know what it feels like because I am frankly too scared to try it myself. The collar is powered by a 9 volt battery, and as batteries have a tendency to do, sometimes that battery goes dead. When Riley does not hear the beep, feel the buzz, or have his teeth rattle from the shock, he knows that he is free to go where he wants, and it seems he loves to explore the neighborhood. He doesn’t get out all that often, and now it is mainly during thunderstorms, so when a storm is coming up, we get him in the garage or the house – depending on how recently he had a bath. However, due to the times that Riley has gotten out, we got a tag for his collar that has his name, address, and phone number on it.
That dog is truly a part of the family, and when he does get out it creates a panic within the house. We get out in the yard calling out and whistling trying to get him to come. I’ll get in the car and drive through the neighborhood looking for him and asking anyone I see if they have seen a great big Golden Retriever. The boys will ride with me, sticking their heads out the window (kinda like Riley does) and yelling “RIIIIIIIII-LEEEEEEY!” I cannot explain the sense of joy and relief that I have when someone calls and lets us know that they have found Riley, and because of the tag on his collar they know who he belongs to. As they tell us where they live, I race to the house, and I cannot wait to be reunited with my dog. And although there is that brief temptation to kick the dog for running off, I am much too happy just to have him back.
This morning I got to thinking that must sort of be what it is like for God when one of us is lost and then is found. Luke 15:1-10 tells us something about the love that God has for sinners, and Jesus gives us a couple of parables – the man who has a 100 sheep and loses one, so he goes looking for it; the woman who has 10 silver coins and loses one. When the man finds the lost sheep, he puts it on his shoulders, calls his friends and neighbors together and says, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!”(Luke 15:6) **(Side note – I’ve wondered that when he got everyone together like that, did he perhaps have a feast as a celebration? If so, wonder what the main course was? Surely it wouldn’t have been that lost sheep, would it? That would be baaaaad.)** Same deal with the woman who finds the lost coin – she lets her friends and neighbors know that she found the coin and she rejoices with them. Jesus explains, “In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”(Luke 15:10)
One thing I want to add here is the intense appreciation and gratitude that I feel towards the person who finds Riley when he is lost. I am so thankful for them, and to this day every time I pass by one of the houses where he was found (and yes, there are several) and I say a prayer of thanksgiving for the kindness of that person who helped me be reunited with my dog. I’ve got a pretty good notion that God not only celebrates the lost being found, but He also celebrates the one who helped the lost be reunited with God. There are plenty of “lost dogs” out there in the world. God is looking for them, and He needs us to help Him find them.
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