Eager Expectation

The first dog I can remember was named Smokey. I am not sure what happened to Smokey. He simply faded out of my most ancient memories. I don't recall anything specific about him, other than the fact that I owned him and now I don't.

The second dog I owned was named Smokey (Or Smokey II, if you will...). He ran away more times than I can remember, but always came back. At least he came back everytime but the last time. The last time he got away was the last I ever saw him.

The third dog I owned was named Norman. I picked him out of the pound, all on my own, while my parents were away on vacation. More than once a day he would knock over my little sisters and make them cry. Then he chewed a piece of siding off of the garage and made my dad cry. (Actually, he didn't really cry. It was sort of like a pot of water coming to a boil.) We got rid of Norman, which is a funny story on its own, but I don't have time for it here.

The fourth dog was named Sophie. I am not going to lie to you, I loved Sophie. She was a good dog. She was run over by a Ford Explorer (front and back tire) and survived. She taught me about loyalty, despite treatment, she gave me great practice with parenting, and she showed me that I had an anger problem. We had to give her up because of our busy schedules.

The final dog came by way of a Christmas present to our children, and a friend of my wife's. His name is Milo, and I have to say that that I have grown fond of this dog, though I swore I would get attached. What is more important, and what has inspired this post, is the dog's fondness to me.

To be sure, he will eagerly await all of us to arrive home at the end of the work day, but once I arrive, he becomes my shadow. He will follow me room to room and find comfortable spots that are as near to me as I will allow. The picture shown at the top of this post is a picture taken when I was gone on my trip to Charleston. My wife sent it to me, telling me that is how he had been sitting throughout the night.

I am not putting too much into the thoughts and sentimentalities of dogs, but I have to say that it paints a great mental image to our own eager expectations of Christ's return. Do you sit at the window, anxiously awaiting Him? Is the one thing you want, to sit at His feet? Are you yearning to be His shadow?

He which testifieth these things saith, "Surely I come quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Rev 22:20 (KJV)