Prodigal Dogs and Pharisee Cats

Original post at Memphis Misfit Mama

Disclaimer: I am a dog person and not a huge fan of cats and that might come across in this post. No disrespect to you cat lovers out there. :)

My dogs ran away today...again.

About two and a half years ago they ran away after we forgot to put the padlock on the gate. They were gone for 2 hours before we finally found them. I called all the friends I could think of to make up the search team and a good friend of ours came across them in a park near our home. I was hysterical and when I was finally reunited with them I was relieved and overcome with tears of joy that they were safe and they were home.

About two weeks ago my dogs ran away. This time they bolted right in front of our eyes as I was opening the gate to talk to my husband who was in the back yard doing yard work. He ran after them as I hurriedly got baby girl and I into the car. They just ran and ran, looked back at him, and then bolted. They ran across a busy four lane street in rush hour traffic. I put on the hazards when I finally caught up with them and threw them in the car. When we got home I had no tears of joy or relief, only anger, and they were punished for their actions, only in the most gentlest of ways of course.

Today they ran away. We went on a walk this morning and I must not have closed the gate tight enough (and I forgot the padlock) and it is a very windy day here in Memphis. As I was leaving the house to go visit my husband at work I noticed the gate was open. My heart sank. My husband called his father to help me look. I drove through the areas where we always walk and was fortunate enough to come across a neighborhood security guard driving around and gave him my information. About 40 minutes later he called me and said a lady had reported a big black dog swimming in her pool and it looked like she was about to drown. Luckily I made it to the address in a few minutes. (come to find out we had just met these neighbors a few weeks ago when they hosted a party for a ministry we help with) Kyleigh was relieved to see me as she looked exhausted and couldn't figure out how to get out. Louie was by her side on the edge of the pool. (he would never run away if it weren't for her bad influence) After having been out for possibly three hours and swimming in the pool for who knows how long, it is a blessing that I found her still swimming and alive. I thought I was going to see a mass of black and white fur on the side of one of the many busy roads near our home.

Needless to say, today I was relieved and overcome with joy to have found them. I was not angry in the least, except at myself for forgetting the padlock. I was so happy to see them and it was an extra blessing of God that we knew the people whose pool they had jumped into.

My dogs teach me a lot about God. I think about how dumb they are to run away when they are cared for so well within the confines of my home and backyard. The boundaries are there for their protection, so that they don't get out and so strays don't get in. They are walked almost every day, fed plenty of food, and always have water. They are very loved, despite their rebellious ways. Why would they be so dumb and cruel to run away? Why would they cause me so much grief and break my heart like this?

Of course when anyone or anything runs away we often think of the parable of the prodigal son and the older brother. Luke 15  shares this story, as well as the lost sheep and the lost coin. I love the truth of God searching for the one sheep that runs off, and the lady rejoicing when she finds the lost coin, but the parable of the prodigal son is my favorite on "lostness". You see, I can relate so much to this prodigal son and to my dogs. God has set loving boundaries for me within his word. The boundaries are there to protect me and for my good. God takes such good care of me and has blessed me with so much in His Son, so why do I sometimes wander off? I am not so different from my dogs am I? The prodigal son had a life of luxury and goodness and love at his father's home, but wanted his inheritance early so he could enjoy the pleasures of this world. When he had squandered all his money and was going hungry he decided to return home. When his father saw him from a distance he ran to him. (unheard of in that culture at that time) He embraced him and forgave him. He rejoiced that he had returned. Never mind the grief it had caused him. Never mind the broken heart and the worry. He forgave him and loved him. He rejoiced that although he was lost, now he was found. This is what God does with us. 

The older brother is like a pharisee, or like a cat.  The older brother only had disdain for the way his father welcomed back the prodigal son. He, after all, had never left and broken his father's heart. The other day I saw a neighborhood cat roaming around and I asked my husband, "why is it that cats always go home and never run away, but dogs are supposed to be known for being loyal, yet always wander off?" I think I might have some insight into this answer. We all know from popular cartoons that cats think they are better than dogs. They think themselves to be more sophisticated, smarter, and civilized than dogs. They pride themselves in never running away. They look down at dogs for their carefree, uncivilized, beastly ways. They are much like Pharisees. They might not ever run off, but are they truly loyal? Do you ever really have the loyalty and love of a cat? I am sure cat lovers would say yes, but I would beg to differ. They might not ever leave, but are they really loyal to you? Do they just do all the right things without the heart behind it? You see, dogs might run away over and over again, but they really do love their owners. They truly are loyal creatures and they love their owners immensely.

I could tell today that my dog was very relieved to see me. I can tell from her demeanor that she knows she did something wrong. Knowing that she almost drowned, there is no way I can be mad at her. I must forgive her for she is just like me. God forgives me over and over again when I rebel against His love and protection and boundaries, so I need to forgive my dogs as well.

No matter what, I would rather be more like a prodigal dog than a pharisee cat.

I am thankful for a God that forgives both prodigal dogs and pharisee cats and gives all of us the grace to walk in obedience and faithfulness to Him daily.