Dec
12
2017
The Dog’s Bark
Posted in Daily Living 4 Comments
It was a cold morning for a walk.
However, for me, a cold morning is my favorite kind of walk.
Snow was still on the grass from the first snowfall.
The plows and salt trucks had done a good job of taking care of the streets.
It was a quiet morning.
The sky was a wintry gray.
There was just a touch of orange where the sun was trying to break through.
The snow on the trees looked as if a painter had come along with a brush and some white paint.
It was a glorious morning.
My breath was visible in front of me.
My gloves were on my hands.
My hood was pulled up against the cold.
With my sunglasses on, there was only a bit of my face visible.
I like it that way.
I am not walking to win any fashion awards.
I am walking for exercise and for so much more.
My walk is my prayer time.
In the two miles I walk each morning, I cover my family in prayer.
Prayers for my husband, my children, my son and daughter-in-love, and my grandbaby.
It is my time to ponder, to reflect, and to give burdens over to my Lord who walks with me.
I am never alone on my morning walk.
Physically, I may appear to be alone.
However, I have company.
I have Someone who walks with me then and throughout the rest of my day and night.
A few school buses come into our neighborhood every morning.
The bus driver and I can set a clock by each other.
Every morning, we wave to each other.
Some mornings, there may even be a little friendly sound of the horn.
I pass by each of my neighbors houses.
I pray for them by name as God leads me.
They are on a morning schedule as well.
I am beginning to know the sound of their cars as they drive up behind me.
I see my breath in front of me.
I see the exhaust behind each of their cars.
We are not quite dawntreaders, but close.
We each get an early start to our days.
As I was ready to turn a corner, I saw a snowman.
One single snowman was on the side of my neighbor’s driveway.
The snowman made me smile.
How many snowmen just like that have been on my lawn through the years?
I smiled because the snowman was wearing a hat with the logo of our city’s football team.
I thought about how excited everyone is about our amazing football team this year.
The snowman seemed to agree.
One lonesome snowman with a perpetual smile greeted me on my walk.
I thought of the process of making a snowman.
It has to be the right kind of snow.
Not too powdery; not too wet.
Just the right mixture so the snow would be sticky enough to roll into a ball.
Three large balls to be exact.
Each snowball gets a bit smaller as it is stacked on top of each other.
Sometimes raisins are used for buttons and eyes.
A carrot or stick is used as a nose; the mouth can be made as creatively as you choose.
One lonesome snowman greeted me on my walk.
The house that had the snowman also has a dog.
The dog tends to bark protectively behind the electric fence when anyone comes near.
The dog does not bark at me.
We have a friendship, the dog and I.
I say hello to him by name every morning.
He is used to seeing me walk by him.
He knows it is me coming around the corner; he looks up at me and then lays back down.
On this particular morning, I stopped to take a picture of the snowman.
I was not supposed to stop.
He is used to seeing me walk by.
His job is to protect his family and his front lawn.
For the first time, he barked at me.
With my sunglasses and hood, I was probably unrecognizable.
He barked until I said his name.
Hi, Buster. You’re a good boy!
That’s all it took.
Just the sound of my voice.
I was not a stranger any longer.
He knew who I was by my voice alone.
He went back to his favorite spot and laid down.
All was right with the world.
He was alert; he was keeping watch.
The threat was nonexistent but he was ready.
Be self controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith…(1 Peter 5:8,9)
If only we could be as alert as the dog I see on my morning walk.
Nothing was going to get past him.
I was someone sinister and suspect until he heard my voice.
Then he recognized my voice and knew that I was just fine.
He assumed I was a threat when I stopped to take a picture.
The threat was nonexistent.
He was not taking any chances.
He was alert and watchful.
The dog taught me a lesson.
I must also be alert.
I must also keep watch.
I must also protect those things that matter most to me.
I do not recognize the voice of the enemy.
I will not listen.
I will bark and make the enemy known.
I will protect what is dear to me.
There is only one Voice my ears are tuned to hear.
I have to block out the noise of the world so I can hear that Voice clearly.
Some days the Voice is clearer than others.
Some days, I allow the noise of the world to drown out the sound of the only Voice that matters.
I want to be like the dog I pass on my morning walk.
I want to hear the one Voice that I know so well.
I want to be comforted when I hear His voice and know that I can lie down securely.
I want to be self-controlled and alert as the devil prowls around.
I will bark rather than be devoured by the enemy of my soul.
I am held by the One whose Voice I hear.
I am protected by the One who walks with me.
I am His and He is mine.
All is right with the world.
Amen!
Diane,
Amen and Amen, friend.
Gina
Isn’t it so comforting that we are never alone. God is with us through our walk of life. If we keep our eyes and hearts focused on Him, the enemy will never overtake us
Sue,
That is a promise of God that I cling to: Never will I leave you or forsake you. I do not know what I would do without His constant presence in my life. I know that you cling to that promise as well.
Gina