[Faith-talk] Daily Thought for Monday, August 12, 2013

[Sheila Leigland]

I liked the message of the story but the mistreatment of the dog at the  
end took or at least deminished any positive message for me.
On 8/12/2013 1:38 PM, Paul wrote:
> Hello to all of you on this Monday or, if you live in Australia or New Zealand, a happy Tuesday morning.  Whatever day it is in your area or even time of day, I hope that everything is going well for you.
>
> Although this story I'm about to present to you isn't what you would call exactly Christian in nature, nonetheless it has a lesson for all of us.  It's called "Good Boy--Bad Boy" by Janett Grady, a writer living in Alaska, and is rendered as follows:
>
> "Hey, there's a dog in our yard," Michael shouted from the back porch.  I looked up and there he was, a German Shepherd from right out of Rin Tin Tin, busy sniffing the flowers in Mom's garden.
>
> "He must belong to a neighbor," I said.  Our yard was always being invaded by scruffy stray cats and dogs, but it had been a long time since we'd had a really handsome dog in our yard.  In fact, it had been five years since our dad gave our spoiled poodle, Taffy, away.
>
> Michael and I hadn't thought it was possible for us to ever own a dog as handsome as Rin Tin Tin.  We sat on the porch speculating about this new dog.  We were taught to be cautious about gifts that came seemingly from out of the blue.  But we were also enterprising.
>
> "He sure is pretty," Michael observed.  "Do you think he's smart?"
>
> "We'll train him," I suggested.
>
> "Do you think Dad will let us keep him?"
>
> "He might," I said hopefully.  "But first we'll have to make sure he's a friendly dog.  Let's feed him."
>
> We quietly strolled inside and raided the refrigerator.  I found a loaf of hamburger and tore it out of the package.  Hamburger in hand, we crept back outside to the fence around the garden.  When we got near, the dog raised his tail, curled his lips, and snarled.
>
> "Doesn't look very friendly," Michael murmured.
>
> "Wait and see," I whispered back, as I held out a piece of the meat.
>
> The dog started toward us, hackles up, ears laid back.  I tossed the meat and he caught it.  He looked surprised and then gobbled it down.  His ears came forward and he lowered his tail.  By the time the meat was gone, the dog was wagging his tail.  We had made a new friend.  We scratched him behind the ears and under his chin, and told him about how we were going to train him.  Soon, we were called to supper.
>
> "We've got a dog out in the yard," we casually told Mom as she dished out the beans.
>
> "Oh, sure," she muttered, spoon in hand.  Then she gasped "What?"
>
> "A dog," I told her.  "He's a German Shepherd.  We fed him and tied him to the porch."
>
> "His name's Rinty," Michael added.
>
> "Eat your supper," Mom said.  "We'll see about that."
>
> After supper, Mom was enchanted as she saw our prize.  Mom liked dogs, and I remembered how sad she had been when Dad gave Taffy away.  "You be careful with him," she warned us.  "He could be vicious.  I'll have to start calling neighbors to see who's lost a dog."
>
> "Don't tell Dad," we begged.  Dad had gone into Anchorage on business and wasn't expected back until the end of the week.
>
> "Don't be silly," she said.  "When your father gets home, he's going to hit the roof.  You can't hide a dog." Then she smiled and added, "But I'll talk to your father, and if nobody comes for the dog by then, maybe we'll be able to keep him."
>
> That night we were the best children you'd ever want to meet.  We did the dishes, swept out the kitchen and told tall tales to entertain Mom.  Somehow, she didn't get to make but two phone calls.
>
> The next morning, Michael and I were up at dawn to feed the dog.  He greeted us with a happy tail.  I took a stiff hairbrush and worked him over, and got my face washed as I worked.  By noon, we had him trained to stay and fetch a stick.  The lost companionship had come back.  I hugged him and loved him.  Rinty was ours.
>
> We only had our new friend for two days.  On the morning of the third day, there was a foreboding knock on the front door.
>
> "Pardon me, ma'am," the man at the door said to Mom.  "Are you the folks who found my dog?" He was holding a chain and a stick in his hands.
>
> After he had described the dog in detail, Mom led him to the back porch.  Michael and I tagged along behind the man.
>
> As soon as Rinty saw him, his hackles went up and he lunged on the end of his line, teeth snapping and flashing.  The change in Rinty's personality shocked me:  he was suddenly a vicious animal, barking and snarling as though he wanted to kill the man.
>
> "Rinty, no!" Michael screamed.
>
> "You kids stand back," the man told us.  "He's ugly.  It's a good thing for you that he's tied up."
>
> "The kids tied him," Mom said.  "He wasn't like this a while ago."
>
> The man didn't say anything.  He threatened the dog with his stick, and Rinty snapped and snarled at him.  The man stepped aside and caught the dog by the scruff of his neck.  Rinty turned his head and snapped, but the man brought the stick down across the dog's nose.  Rinty yelped.
>
> "Can I pay you for finding my dog, ma'am?"
>
> "No, my mother replied icily.  "Just take him and get out of here."
>
> I never saw Rinty again, although I hopefully checked our garden each day for the rest of that summer.  Even now, that "ugly" dog is often on my mind.  Funny, isn't it, how much dogs can be like people? Treat them kindly and you'll never have a better friend.  Treat them mean and, well, maybe Rinty's owner can tell you what happens.
>
> And there you have the promised dog story.  The same is true in the Christian life.  Now I know that as blind people we can't see people physically all that well, but we shouldn't say unkind things to them, especially if we're going to witness to them in a loving way while sharing the Gospel in practical ways, and there's more to that than just handing out tracts or even quoting Bible verses.  I hope that you guide dog owners or those of you who just like dogs enjoyed this story as submitted by Sister Janett.
>
> And now may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, in these last days in which we live.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul
> _______________________________________________
> Faith-talk mailing list
> Faith-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/faith-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Faith-talk:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/faith-talk_nfbnet.org/sleigland%40bresnan.net