DOG Theology

There's an older but familiar bumper sticker that reads, "God is my co-pilot." Soon responses to this sticker began appearing on car bumpers. One response was written trying to one-up it saying, "If God is your co-pilot, switch seats." Another was written looking to make a clever come back: "DOG is my co-pilot."

As a dog owner and lover I have often had the opportunity to reflect on the strange yet profound connections between dog and man, and man and God. Over the years I have noticed parallels in these two relationships. And at times they have been a bit eerie, but sometimes they are teachable moments.

My dog, Dakota, is a hound. And any hound owner knows that hounds are driven by their noses even more than other breeds. Her sense of smell is amazing...and frustrating. It causes her to get into anything and everything.

Her two favorite places to stick her elongated snout are bathroom trashcans and our house plant's dirt. Dakota knows she is not supposed to do this; many punishings and time spent in her cage have taught her this. And so she never gets into them while we're around. But often, when my wife and I come home we find little bits of dirt scattered playfully around our plant, and oftentimes bathroom tissue in various rooms of the apartment. Mostly she tells on herself when she happily greets us at the door with dirt on her nose.

Grrrrr.........!

Isn't if funny how sometimes we people think we can 'get away' with certain things when God isn't watching. Mark 13:35a says, "Therefore, be on the alert-- for you do not know when the master of the house is coming." We may be able to fool other people about what we do, but God sees us even when no one else does. Dakota doesn't know when we're coming back, and too many times we have caught her "dirty snouted."

I wonder if that's how God sees us sometimes? We come running to Him in prayer or to church and all he sees is dirt on our snouts. The neat part is just like I always forgive my daughter dog and end up rubbing on her floppy velvety ears, God will always forgive us too.

And lastly, Dakota has never stopped being cute. I wonder if sometimes, to God, we just look cute?!