Many years ago, my late husband and I had a German Shepherd named Rachel. Everywhere we went, she went—she was right there with us. It was nothing to see the three of us careening down the highway in our Wagoneer, windows open and hair flying. Not mine, because it was secured under a baseball cap, but Rachel’s. Her fur, mingled with her drool, because she was panting with excitement to see where our next adventure took us, flew in all directions.
Rachel and Me
Living in California at that time, we would often go to the High Sierras to hike or camp. The ride up the mountains became for Rachel more like Mr.Toad’s Wild Ride in Disneyland. Because she insisted on hanging her front paws over the back of our bench front seat so as to see what was going on—she was so nosy—her back paws were left to tap dance across the floorboard as the car took one curve more recklessly than the last. Besides the slobber that often landed on the seat or on my shoulder, it truly was a comical picture of life with this dog. Oh the things we did, or put up with, when we were young.
Marty, My Son, And Rachel
Memories of Rachel, who has been long gone, still make me smile, but being the dog lover that I am now, I have with my husband, Jerry, two more canines that think they rule the roost. Sammie, our Miniature Schnauzer, who at any given moment, gives us a piece of her mind, and Lizbeth, our Chow mix, loyal and watchful against all invaders, from hot air balloons to rabbits, add to our always eventful life on these green acres.
Lizbeth, Sammie, and Me
Yesterday was dog grooming day. Loading them into the car and schlepping them down the road to be shampooed and shaved, both dogs were shaking like a leaf. Dropping them off as disheveled hooligans, we returned a few hours later to find two clean and fairly nice smelling animals. Both greeting us with, “I’m so glad you came back to get us” barks, it was very clear that Sammie was chiding and fussing at us with the underlying sentiment of, “Where were you? I’ve been loyal to you all my life. How could you? How could you possibly leave me?” while Lizbeth in pitiful plaintiff tones was saying, “Where were you? I was so scared. I was afraid you would never come back.”
As strange as it seems, isn’t it interesting that like the difference in meanings inferred from the barks of our two dogs, two people can utter the same phrase and mean something entirely different from one another? That the words “where were you” in one instance could convey concern, but on the other hand, also offer up accusation. And even, words given in love by one, can be misunderstood and taken the wrong way by another because they are skewed by memory or past perceptions. That’s why, as much as I love them, words alone, can be misconstrued, misused, and mistaken. But add a picture, a photo, or even an emoji to a text and meanings become much clearer.
In much the same way, God gives us His written Word but also gives us Jesus, His Son. Not only do we now have a perfect picture of who God is, but also, we have an advocate who knows in the most intimate way, the frailty of our humanity.
In John 1:1-5, (ESV) we see that:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
And in John 1:17,18 (NLT)
For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.
What better picture can we have of God and His love for us? Because he has literally “been in our skin,” He can understand our fears, our doubts, our weaknesses. We can bring to Him anything—nothing is too shocking, too awful, too much, or even surprising to Him. He wants us to come to Him as we are.
The song, Never Recover, is about the far-reaching, never-ending love that the Father has for us. Whenever the Israelites walked away from the Lord, it was because they forgot what He had done for them, how He had been with them every step of the way before and when leaving Egypt. May we always remember His deep abiding love—how He brought us, like the Israelites, out of darkness into the kingdom of the Son of His love. (Colossians 1:13)
Never Recover by Kimberly Bryant & Jeff Nelson
©2004 HeartService Music, Inc. (admin. by Music Services) All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission. ASCAP
Kimberly Bryant-Palmer, Author & Blogger
Author of the children’s book Mr. Zip and The Capital Z.
Watch the book trailer here.
