Stray dog!

I was picking up trash in front of the church building today while braving the afternoon heat.  I found the usual trash:  cigarette butts, empty whiskey bottles, Burger King bags, deflated balloons, napkins, even a pink copy of a "notice to appear."  But something unusual happened as I walked along Main St.:  a black shaggy medium-sized dog trotted down the sidewalk towards me.  His tags jingled as he moved at a relatively fast clip, tongue lolling out of his mouth.  No slack in pace as he passed.  It looked like he knew where he was headed to, and no owner to be seen.  I've seen plenty of stray dogs during trips to Mexico, but along busy Main and Johnson it was the first stray I can remember seeing for a long time.

Stray dogs are easy to spot.  If only it was so easy to spot a man who has strayed from his Owner!  A dog without an owner is a stray, but every man has a Maker.  Once we are born again every man has an Owner.  Followers of Christ look to Him to satisfy our thirst with His Living Water that brings eternal life.  Many professing followers of Jesus are like that dog:  they trot with purpose, but not the purpose of the Owner.  Somehow they have been separated.  God never leaves His children alone, just like no loving parent leaves their child intentionally at the fair.  But kids are separated from their parents all the time through absentmindedness, distraction, or circumstances.

I've never had that sinking feeling of losing a child and having their name paged over the intercom.  But as the city has ways of reuniting a stray dog with his owner, as stores have ways of reuniting father and son, so God has a way of being found by His children:  His constant availability.  James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded."  God wants to be found.  If you seek Him with your whole heart, you will not remain lost.  You will find Him because He will reveal Himself to you.

A good example is our huge family Easter egg hunt at my Grandpa and Grandma Henry's house.  Every year Aunt Julie, Angela, or Darla have a hand in hiding the "golden egg" in an acre of property in Ramona.  Now the golden egg makes this a hunt for adults and kids alike, seeing as it usually contains $20!  Every year the focus is on the golden egg.  Every year it is the very last egg to be found because it is hidden very well.  After about five minutes of looking, kids and adults start saying things like, "Is it still out here?" or "Which side of the yard is the golden egg on?"  The one who hid the egg will say, "It's on that half of the yard."  Everyone will move over to that side.  The egg is so well hidden that within ten minutes the search will often be narrowed to a small area until the egg is found.

My point is this:  the golden egg is found every single year!  My grandpa always tells us how every year eggs are left behind in gopher holes and in piles of grass.  But not one time has the golden egg remained because it was our chief focus.  There are some who give up and sit down, content with their finds.  But there are others who will not leave the field until the egg is found.  Likewise the one who hid the egg knows the location, and will continue to tip and assist until the egg is found.  It is the same way with our LORD, Jesus Christ!  He has revealed Himself through His Word.  There are many who will start looking for salvation but lose heart.  No one has ever found the golden egg eating BBQ on the porch, and no one has found eternal life without looking!  If we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us.  If we want eternal life through Him, we will find it because He will lead us to Himself.  He is the prize that we are seeking.

The stray that trotted past me today had tags and a collar.  He carries with him information that will reunite him with his owner.  Every human being has been created in the image of God so His mark is upon all mankind.  Unlike animals, God has breathed into man a spiritual element, a living soul.  God has given man the freedom to choose to trust in God or to reject Him.  There is certain hope for all who call upon the name of the LORD in repentance, humility, and faith!  We have no power or knowledge in ourselves to be saved, but by the grace of God we can be redeemed from the wandering path.  What a reunion occurs when a man comes to Christ!  What sweetness there is in knowing your Maker as Savior and Master, and fulfilling His purposes.  Nothing compares to the love of God.  John 3:16-17 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. [17] For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."