When our son, Ryan, got married last summer, we got more than a wonderful daughter-in-law — we also got a dog-in-law. His name is Ritz and he is a sleek bird dog, pretty much the doggy antithesis of our own bag ’o wrinkles, Winston the shar-pei.
Jessi, Ryan’s bride, decided awhile back that it was time for Winston and Ritz to meet and bond. Sounds good on paper, but the reality was something less than pleasant.
Jessi and Ryan brought Ritz by the house one Saturday so that he and Winston could meet and frolic. No frolicking occurred — just much havoc.
When Jessi, Ryan and Ritz came to our door, Winston greeted them, obviously mistaking them for a pair of axe murderers and a marauding grizzly bear. Our brave pooch was ready to let the fur fly in defense of his home. Quite noble, but very misappropriated.
Winston has never been very socially savvy and his relational retardation was on full display this day. He made a surly move toward Ritz at the front door and the frenzy began. Our dog emerged from the fracas with a bleeding cut on his face. At the same time, we discovered that Jessi had somehow gotten doggy doo-doo on her shoe and had tracked it into our foyer.
Pause now and picture the scene: the dogs are fighting, Winston is bleeding, a terrible odor is wafting across the foyer and Jessi is trying to get her stinky poo-shoe out the door. I sorely needed to have an out-of-body experience.
After things settled a bit, we sat down and tried to salvage the visit. Then, just as Jessi began telling us how easy it was to housebreak Ritz, I caught a glimpse of her dog hiking up his leg and baptizing the back of my husband’s recliner. We were all stunned, especially Winston, who couldn’t believe this visitor dog had the gall to mark the biggest prize in the house.
This being the proverbial last straw, Ryan and Jessi aborted the bonding mission and took Ritz home. If first impressions are as important as folks say they are, I don’t think Winston and Ritz are destined for any kind of meaningful relationship.
That brings me to a question I want to ask you: How were you first introduced to Jesus Christ? Was it in the context of a warm, loving family or church … or did someone try to coldly back you into a theological corner and shove Jesus down your throat?
Perhaps your early encounters with Jesus and His gospel shaped your present relationship (or lack of relationship) with God. My earliest perceptions of God weren’t pleasant … or true. God the Father seemed like a grouchy old killjoy; Jesus was a scrawny, sad guy with greasy hair; the Holy Spirit … well, He was just a spooky mystery.
When I was 19, I was challenged by a friend to give God a new, honest look. Guess what? I discovered He’s not anything like my childhood notions of Him.
He may not be like yours, either.
If your impressions of God are negative, they are wrong. Take a fresh look and meet Him again. God is more than willing to reveal Himself to anyone who truly desires to know Him. To know Him is to know life. That’s what Christmas is all about.
“Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek You.” (Psalm 9:10)