Great Dog Stories (16 page)

This is a story that could raise a number of interesting questions. But I always wondered why Mark stopped to open the tailgate. And once he did, why did Big Sid come without hesitation?

Mark said he felt “prompted in his spirit” to stop the car. He’d seen many stray animals—but he felt a special connection with this particular lost and broken dog. He wasn’t sure what would happen. He only knew he was supposed to open the tailgate. Then it was up to the dog. Mark wouldn’t grab the dog or tempt it with food. He wouldn’t call to it or do anything to force it to get into his car. But if it chose to come forward on its own, Mark knew the dog was his.

This story illustrates a great biblical truth. Jesus says in John 10:9, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.”

That’s pretty clear. If you want to be saved and spend eternity in heaven, you have to enter through a gate named Jesus. Jesus doesn’t go out and yank you in. He doesn’t flash a wad of money or open a box of chocolates to lure you. He simply is the gate. It’s up to you whether to enter…or not.

It’s a choice with an obvious upside. So why doesn’t everyone dash through this gate?

For one thing, the gate is small. The road that leads to eternal life is narrow and only a few find it (Matthew 7:14).

As if that’s not tough enough, Jesus says in Matthew 19:23-24 (
NLT
), “I tell you the truth…it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” So, does that mean multimillionaires and the ultra-powerful, super-wealthy Old Testament guys like Joseph and King David couldn’t get into heaven? I don’t think so. I think the kind of rich that keeps us from entering the kingdom of God refers to whatever baggage blocks us from entering the gate. It’s whatever inflates self and ego and tricks us into viewing ourselves as bigger than God. We become so rich in self-importance and self-reliance that we don’t see our need for Him. We fall for Satan’s original pickup line to Eve: “You will be like God” (Genesis 3:5). And if we are like God we certainly don’t need a savior like the pitiful, poor, wretched, blind, and naked of the world do.

Jesus is the gate. You’ve got to enter through Him to be saved. But you have to be small enough to fit. You have to be skinny enough to travel the narrow road. You have to let go of whatever baggage keeps you from fitting through the proverbial eye of the needle.

So, what does all this have to do with Big Sid?

Big Sid was a nothing—the Worst in Show. He was big in size, but small in every other way. He was a walking skeleton. He had nothing, owned nothing, was nothing. He didn’t hesitate to enter Mark’s car because he was a broken-down, worthless pile of skin and bones with absolutely nothing to lose.

Could this be the same way God wants us humans to spiritually enter the kingdom of heaven? Sometimes our egos and self-importance are too inflated to let us squeeze through that small gate. Our obsession with accumulating too many temporary worldly possessions makes us too wide to travel the narrow road. Basing our security and our identities on the size of our savings accounts, 401Ks, and stocks and bonds makes it impossible for us to pass through the eye of the needle.

Bottom line: We’ve got to be like Big Sid if we want to get into the kingdom of heaven. When Jesus opens the tailgate we must not hesitate to enter in and choose Life. But if you’ve got too much stuff and you can’t let it go, you won’t be able to fit in that wagon.

You say you just can’t dump your fancy designer clothes and shoes to live life in sackcloth and sandals? You don’t have to. You just have to have an epiphany that will change your life. You just have to realize the truth of Revelation 3:17: “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”

We all need a spiritual reality check. We all need to open our eyes and see ourselves as God sees us—without all the external worldly trappings that cloak our true spiritual selves.

You and I may be more like Big Sid than we think.

His will is our hiding place.

C
ORRIE TEN
B
OOM

S
haron loves to fish. She doesn’t mind fishing alone—that is, without other people—but she always takes Boomer, her 120-pound Great Pyrenees. Boomer is a great companion and protector.

One day Sharon and Boomer were fishing up high in the Kern River Canyon in Central California. This area is part of the Sequoia National Forest. Various types of wildlife may be found there, including coyotes, bears, cougars, and snakes.

Sharon was doing pretty well with her fishing, but Boomer seemed very nervous about their surroundings. Sharon ignored Boomer’s concern at first, carefully climbing down the hill to fish closer to the water. That was when she heard strange sounds. She thought maybe she had better heed Boomer’s cautionary behavior. She climbed back up the hill, Boomer sticking very close. Sharon figured they were out of harm’s way so she stood on a bridge and dropped her line into the water once more. Boomer began acting even more nervous, and started trying to nudge her closer to her car. When she finally reeled up her line and started walking, Boomer gently put his mouth on her wrist and pulled her to her vehicle.

Once they were on their way down the hill, Boomer relaxed and Sharon felt that maybe he had saved her from some serious harm. That night she heard that there was a cougar attack right where they had been fishing. Because Boomer had warned her of danger on other fishing trips, she knew she needed to pay attention when his nervousness persisted. She believes he would have fought and maybe given his life to save hers.

Boomer the dog was his master’s keeper. My husband, Steve, is mine. He always tries to keep me safe. He did that yesterday when we took what I thought was a rather dangerous trip. Steve is a farmer and oversees many acres of land. He took me with him to a field where some farm work was being done way out in the middle of nowhere. There is a paved road for most of the way. But then, to get to the field, we had to drive on a road filled with very sticky mud.

I could see the danger in driving this road. It would have been impossible without a four-wheel-drive vehicle. This, of course, was what we had. Still, if I had been alone there was no way I would have even attempted it. But for Steve, it was old hat. He knew he could keep me safe and he thought it would be an adventure for me. So he just said, “Hold on, here we go!” Once we started, there was no stopping until the end. If we had stopped, we would have been horribly stuck in the heavy mud. I held on, prayed, screamed at times—and we both laughed, knowing Steve was a capable driver.

When we reached our destination, our truck was covered in mud. We could hardly see out the windows! Steve took care of his business and we visited with two other workers, George and Lupe, who laughed at me when I told them of our adventure. Then we took a less exciting route back to the main road and traveled thirty miles to our home. The danger I had sensed was real, but I had been safe in the hands of someone who knew how to handle such peril.

Many centuries ago, the Israelite prophet Elisha was in peril. The king of Israel was at war with the king of Aram. God had been giving Elisha intelligence about the Aramean army’s movements that allowed Israel to keep foiling their efforts. When the king of Aram found out, he ordered his men to locate Elisha so he could capture the prophet. They discovered Elisha was in the city of Dothan.

A strong army was sent to Dothan. Elisha’s servant woke up the next morning and saw these enemy forces surrounding the city. He was terrified at this danger. But Elisha knew that God was keeping him safe. He told his servant, “‘Don’t be afraid…Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ And Elisha prayed, ‘Open his eyes, L
ORD
, so that he may see.’ Then the L
ORD
opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (2 Kings 6:16-17).

God delivered this huge army into Elisha’s hands. Elisha persuaded Israel’s king not to kill them. Instead, they feasted and were sent home to tell their king what had happened. His raids on Israel’s territory stopped.

Boomer’s job was to take care of Sharon, and he did it as well as a dog could. Steve loves me and does his best to keep me safe. But they aren’t all-powerful like God is. No matter what dangers we may face, if we trust God and stick to His path, He will keep us safe in Him.