Sometimes the individuals around us, who have no words, are the most eloquent of all.  We have a miniature schnauzer named Molly.  We think she is pretty bright, for a dog, but there are issues.  Whenever anyone comes to our door Molly goes nuts.  She barks like there is no tomorrow.  But, if anyone is playing close attention, her wagging tail quickly reveals that she is just excited to meet new friends.  The only risk a burglar would have invading our house would be getting licked to death.  We have tried various methods to fix this, but none of them work. This is primarily because we, her guardians, are stupid.  For example we tried throwing her a treat to shut her up.  The theory was that she would be too busy eating to bark.  It kinda sorta worked, but then we told this to a dog trainer who just laughed.  He said, “So, you reward her for bad behavior?”  Guilty as charged.

We finally decided that this is just who Molly is.  She loves everyone, and when you think about it, that is not a bad thing.  I sometimes think God sent us dogs to give us a practical example of the unconditional love of Christ.  That, after all is the essence of Molly.  She loves us no matter what we do.  Oh she can get upset if we forget to feed her, and she certainly will let us know when we have delayed too long in letting her go outside, but there is nothing that can really separate us from the love of Molly.  When I come home, she always goes nuts.  At times she almost cries.  She looks up at me with those sad eyes that say, “Touch me.”  When I do touch her, particularly when I scratch her behind the ears, she cannot contain her excitement.  She literally shakes her head as if this is just too much joy to bear.

I sometimes think Christ is just like that, but we are too distracted to notice.  God is always available, always ready and willing to love us, and just like Molly, he is asking us to touch Him.  And when we do, we are embraced with the unconditional love of almighty God.  Who or what can compete with that?

As I said, sometimes those without words have the most to.say.

Have a Molly Molly Christmas.

TDM