My Master
by Ken
Arthur was focused. It was dinner time, and he knew the drill — where the food was, and who would deliver it. Any twitch by his master towards the fridge provided an eager response from Arthur, who was not discouraged by so many false starts. He knew he was totally dependent upon his person-master for everything. But this did not discourage him; it seemed to give him purpose and direction, love and joy and peace.
Then it struck me, if I could be as dependent on God, as Arthur was on his master, how would that change my life?
What if I suddenly realized that every meal was only going to come from one place (God, not the refrigerator)?
What if I suddenly realized that any meaningful loving I craved was only going to come from one place (God, not worldly desires)?
What if I suddenly realized that any joy/peace in my life was only going to come from one place (God, not a temporary escape)?
Arthur put all of his attention, his focus, toward his master. I suggested that it was as if he was worshipping his master, but that doesn’t quite work, as Arthur really has no concept of a “god”. But another way to put it is devotion.
Jesus said that to really understand the Kingdom of Heaven, we have to be like / think like little children, be more pure and simple. I think He might have considered dogs for His analogy, but dogs were such low-life in His day, that probably would have offended His listeners even more!
But today we love our dogs, and they love us. In fact, I am beginning to realize that we should very much strive to be more like dogs (in the good sense), learning from how they depend and rely on, are devoted to and love their masters.
From here on out, I’m going to try to be more devoted to my Master, like Arthur is to his. Everything I need comes from my Master. I only need to turn to my Master for the loving that I crave. Joy and peace, these too, come from my Master. God, my Master.
And the best part is, I can worship Him too, because he is my God. And He is my Father, which makes me His child, and that’s way better than being His dog. Now, isn’t that cool?
April 18th, 2010 at 7:11 pm
Ken,
W A Y C O O L ! ! !
Our Master provides all.
April 19th, 2010 at 4:49 am
That was wonderful.
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:17 pm
I know this is in total contrast to the New Testament image of Jesus as the shepherd who patiently and persistently goes after the sheep that has wandered away, but as I read Ken’s blog entry, I kept thinking of the memorable scene in Pixar’s movie, Up, in which the dog, Dug, has been sent away by the grumpy old guy. Old guy has told Dug something devastating like, “Bad dog! You’re a bad dog! I am not your master. Get lost.” The dog slinks away. Much later, when the emotional mood has lightened, the old man opens the door and sees a grinning dog on his front porch. Dug says cheerfully, “I was hiding under your porch because I LOVE you!” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1D_3beUtpsQ&feature=related
That innocent, perky, adoring focus — the love that outshines every other motivation or distraction (except for the momentary squirrel) — is the kind of devotion Ken is talking about.
April 24th, 2010 at 5:32 pm
This could give a whole new meaning to “You dog, you!”
Nicely done, Ken. May we all strive to be dependent on God, and to use the gifts he has given us in ways that please him.