Rescue dogs and the love of God

Empowered Up
Aug 27, 2017 · 4 min read

Rescue dogs. The forgotten ones. The narrative almost always starts with pets who have been abused and abandoned, often having picked up emotional wounds and a distrust in human beings. They are left for dead and spend their days in isolation and fear. When it seems like that would be their end, there is a turn of events.

Rescue

A rescuer notices an abandoned dog, and the give aways are often that they are wounded, deteriorated in health conditions, severely unkempt, eating food through garbage bags and they hide at the very sight of humans. The rescuer then attempts to establish a connection and trust, much to their failure. They try to sit beside the dog as close as they can, they feed it, and they communicate in soft and gentle tones. The dog usually responds by fleeing and hiding, or with defensive aggression, all the manifestation of trauma from past abuse and neglect. At this point, it seems like a lost cause, but the rescuer over days and weeks, pursues this dog and will not relent in this rescue effort. Through many attempts, and in a seemingly miraculous way, the rescuer succeeds in gaining enough trust that the dog is willing to be leashed and be taken care of.

Rehabilitation and healing

From there the dog is taken back to headquarters where they begin the process of rehabilitation. Their damaged fur is shaved then treated with shampoo so that healthy fur would grow again. Their health is taken care of by getting evaluated medically, they are given proper treatments to treat health conditions then they are fed well and given safe shelter. Lastly, they are reintegrated to a community of other rescue dogs, where they begin to heal, learn to relate to others, and restore their personality.

Our wounds

The rescue dog narrative hits very close to home for me and I’m sure for many of the Christian faith, because it is deeply familiar in our dealings with God. Like rescue dogs, we’ve had painful pasts, we’ve gone through abuse, and have experienced the heart-stinging experience of abandonment. We carried on in our lives, carrying our emotional wounds and distrust in relationships. We spent many days in isolation and fear, and depression seemed to be our closest companion. We developed coping and defensive mechanisms that would deter anyone from getting close and personal with us, and as always the case, it’s been to our detriment.

His love pursues and engages

Then the rescuer enters the frame. He’s noticed our wounds. He’s noticed our isolation. He’s noticed our lifelessness. He’s noticed our fear. Then, in the abundance of love, He has set it in His heart to make us His. He has determined that nothing will get in the way of His rescue. Not because we have anything to offer Him, just as rescue dog has nothing to offer their rescuer. Not because we contained any sense of loveliness. Not because we have in some way earned His love and merited rescue. It is out of the abundance of His love that He engages. Then He get close, we become aware of His presence and it brings discomfort. We try to run, we find a place to hide, we want to be left alone. Then He speaks gentleness and peace through His gospel. He gets closer and closer, and eventually gains our trust. We submit and let the leash of His love and grace take us home for rehabilitation.

He takes us in

From there, as much as we would allow Him, He would begin the healing process. He takes care of us. He starts shaving off the tangled mess and filthy fur called our past, applies the salve of His Spirit, and enables us to grow a new and transformed life. He feeds us with His life-giving Word and shelters us under His care, provision, and presence. He not only deals with our soul but introduces us to a community of other “rescued” and “rehabilitated” people. It is within this context of community do we begin to find belonging, learn love, exercise forgiveness and a place where we can keep healing and let our souls, personality, and life flourish.

The narrative in all of us

For some, they’ve yet to let the rescuer rescue and love them. They’ve yet to open up their hearts and yield to His grace. They’ve yet to trust Him with their wounds. For some they are on the road to recovery and healing.
Not everyone is at the same point in the rescue narrative, but the important thing is we know where we are.

As a side note, I would like to say that a lot of the wounds we have can be healed when we give it to God in this lifetime but in another sense, some wounds are not healed on this side of earth. However, the one thing God promised is that all our wounds will find complete healing when we go home and enter His rest.

He is trustworthy

We can look to the future with all hope and confidence, knowing that we have been rescued and we will be forever loved and taken care of by Him.

In closing, we can trust Him with our life. With our hurts. With our scars. We can give him the nastiest parts of our past. We can experience peace and joy in Him in our present. We can look to the future with all hope and confidence, knowing that we have been rescued and we will be forever loved and taken care of by Him.

Brethren and Sisters,

We can trust Him with all our wounds.

)

Empowered Up

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I write to encourage and empower. I share my thoughts on topics like film, current events, life and theology. Would you stay awhile?

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