Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: The Kingdom of God (03/12/09)
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TITLE: Hope | Previous Challenge Entry
By Stacy Ashby
03/19/09 -
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Each cage is sparsely supplied. A bowl for water, a bowl for food, a blanket or mat for sleeping. No toys, no bows, no ribbons. No rhinestone encrusted collars, no studded collars. Nothing that is personal is inside those cages, just the dogs in need of a home. Once the original excitement of my presence has died down, I step back and observe the dogs from a distance, trying to decipher their personalities. One of them slinks to the back of the cage, giving up hope. Another stays to the front, tail wagging, tongue flopping, head tilted, waiting to see what I am going to do. One sits quietly, watching me, trying to anticipate what it is I’m looking for. Another continues to jump high up on the bars, barking, causing a disturbance, making it impossible to ignore him.
The door at the end of the kennel opens and a family walks in. Much as I did, they walk through the wall of noise to each cage, looking each dog over, reading their bios, looking for just the right one that would be the best choice for their home. An attendant comes with a leash and the dogs go wild. The attendant hooks the leash to a bulldog the family has asked to meet. His excitement is matched by the other prisoners in their cells. As he passes me he lunges at me and with tongue lolling he plants both sturdy paws on my legs before excitedly moving on to the play area. Suddenly the dog is free and runs from one enticing odor to the next. Slowly he settles down and allows himself to be petted. The family exclaim over him, thinking he is a wonderful choice, a welcome addition to their home.
After the paperwork is done, the dog goes out with his new family, a new environment in which to grow and thrive. Surrounded by his family the dog will be shaped into what he sees reflected in his family. He will be eager to please his master and will be on his best behavior until he knows that he is completely accepted and loved, that he will be forgiven for the mess he makes on the floor. Once they are accustomed to each other, it will be as though they were always together.
All of this is running through my mind as I consider which dog I would like to adopt. I think of how we are all so desperate to belong. Starting from a young age we try different methods, many that are unhealthy, many that get us noticed, but do not really bring a true sense of being wanted and accepted. Many times we become so lost in this unfulfilled quest for love that we decide we must be unlovable and we give up hope. I’ve done such terrible things, who would want me? It isn’t possible for me to be redeemed, is it? We are lost because we think we are in control, we think we are solitary entities, left alone and no help is coming. We don’t even know we are in the kingdom of God, that not only are we wanted, we are accepted into the kingdom without any cost to ourselves, just benefit.
I look up and down the kennel one more time, and then I walk over to the cage that holds the dog that has moved to the back. He raises his head slightly, like he is afraid to hope. He will soon know that there is always hope. The attendant comes with the leash and we walk out together.
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