Dog Theology, part 10: Temptation

Here's how the scene goes down. I walk by the bathroom door and stop cold. Anger wells up in my chest as I look upon the various bits of toilet paper, Q-tips, clumps of hair and whatever else was strewn about from the bathroom trash can by my dog, Dakota. And who knows how much she's eaten? It's hard to remember to close the door everytime and all the time. But when we (mostly I) don't close it, this happens. The result, I know I'm not going to have a good night sleep.

Why?, you might ask.

Dogs vomit. And when Dakota vomits, it is almost always at 5am in the morning. Sound asleep, in the quiet of the early morning, when the birds are considering beginning their chirping, the air is chilled and crisp and all is calm in the Highlands Apartments where we live, when we hear....that noise. That deep gutteral, back-of-the-throat, short-of-breath, K9, heaving. I immediately leap out of bed, like a fire cracker went off under my butt, and zoom toward Dakota (in the dark, with no glasses on) trying to find her and rushingly drag her to the linolium floor where vomit is far easier to clean.

Do I make it? Sometimes. Her favorite place to throw up is in the corner behind the door. So, even if I get to her, then I have to open the door and get her out of the corner and around the door before we can actually go anywhere. This is very frustrating. And, this dance happens all because Dakota cannot withstand the temptation of the trash.

Two weeks ago we started the season of Lent with Ash Wednesday. Traditionally, one of the themes of Lent is a focus on our fleshy-ness, our humanness. And the lectionary (prescribed order of worship) starts off Lent with passages on temptation. Focusing on temptation reminds us of those things that make us human, that we are frail, that "we are dust and to dust we will return." Temptation is one of the chief marks of being human.

People often give up something during Lent as a way of engaging their humanness and recognizing the power of temptation. I typically do not participate in this Lenten fast of sorts, but perhaps you are somebody who does.

Whether or not you choose to give up something until Easter, may you use this season to look inward at yourself. Reflect on what makes you human, what makes you tick. Can you pinpoint your deepest motivations, and can you stare into the face of that part of yourself of which you may be ashamed and still say to yourself, "I love you." I pray that you can. I will do my best to do this during the remaining Lent season, and while I do so, I sure wish Dakota will also engage her spirituality during Lenten and give up eating trash so I can get some sleep.