Young Desmond has been with me for four years at the end of this month, and during that time he has taught me several lessons in life and faith. I thought, in arrogance, when I brought him home I was giving him a better life. Who knew that he would be a teacher to me on my faith and life journeys?
To understand Desmond as an example of faith, you have to know a little bit about his origins. Desmond lived the first five or so years of his life in a puppy mill. For those of you not familiar with such places, they're basically run-down farms for breeding dogs en mass for profit. Dogs in these places live in terrible conditions, devoid of any human or animal social contact. You can understand why dogs from such facilities may have a hard time adapting to life in a home as someone's pet. They've been abused, mistreated, deprived of love and affection, have little or no socialization skills and in Desmond's case, are abandoned and let for dead. Getting them to trust in new and unfamiliar surroundings can be very difficult.
Not with Desmond though. From the day I brought him home he trusted me. I often joke that when I brought him home he looked around, looked at me and thought "You got this? Good. Then I'm gonna go stare out the window or take nap." To be honest, I'm constantly in awe of the trust Desmond places in me for all of his life needs and humbled by how much I lack the same ability to trust God and others in a similar and open manner with my life.
Desmond's a pretty patient dog too. I follow dog pack rules with Desmond, so he gets his food each night after I've eaten. Desmond keeps himself amused or sits quietly nearby and waits each night until I finish my dinner. Now I'll admit that he knows the cues for when I'm close to finishing my meal and he'll get a little impatient then. But overall, he sits and waits quietly. Imagine doing that with God when we're waiting on something in our lives. Heaven knows I'm not good at sitting and waiting. Instead I'm like Bart and Lisa in the car on "The Simpsons". "Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?", I'm constantly asking God this when I want something and am trying to push my timetable on his plan for me.
Desmond's also patient when we cross the streets in our neighborhood. When we cross a street, if I see a car coming, I'll stop, say "wait", and put my hand out to signal him we're going to stop walking. When the car passes, I tell him "come on" and make a moving forward gesture with my hand so he knows we're walking again. While he may not understand why we've stopped, he knows that we can't move right then and just need to wait. How hard is it for us to wait when God asks us to hold for a little bit? And do we ever consider that he's asked us to wait so we avoid some danger or bad situation or person? Maybe the road just isn't clear for us yet. In those times, do we wait patiently like Desmond or do we squirm and get impatient instead?
And, as any dog owner will tell you, dogs remind you to appreciate the little joys in life. Like the joy of your person coming home at the end of the day, the joy of dinner being served, the joy of eating your favorite treat or playing with your favorite toy. It's not the big things in life that always matter. The little mundane, innocuous daily tasks can be greeted with joy and bring joy into your life too. You just have to see them through eye's like Desmond's.
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