Water Dog

Down through the years, I've had several dogs ... Frisky, Rocky, Brandy, Choo Choo (my oldest son named this poor dog!), Cocoa, Cinnamon, Ali, and now I have Julie and J.R. Out of all of those canines I shared life with, I've never had a dog who loved to play like Julie. And I've never had a dog who loved the water as much as she does. She loves to swim and play in the water hose ... she even jumps in the tub, wagging her tail and barking for me to turn on the water.

Yesterday, a friend and her two youngest children and I took Julie to the off-leash dog park near my house. As is always the case when I take Julie there, she couldn't get to the small lake in the park fast enough. And when she got there, she didn't waste any time in going for a swim. I have one of those tennis ball launchers, and the kids delighted in tossing the ball out into the water for Julie to retrieve. We spent about an hour there by the lake, and I'm not quite sure who had the most fun ... Julie, the kiddos or me and my friend as we watched.

It was a beautiful day ... clear blue skies and not too hot. As I sat on the bench watching the kids and Julie play, I was struck by how happy they all were. In fact, they were more than happy, they were joyous. The kids were laughing and having a great time, and Julie's tail never stopped wagging the entire time. Pure, complete and total joy for each of them.

As I spent time reading God's Word last night, I couldn't help but think that God had taught me yet another lesson earlier that day at the dog park. He wants me to be excited about spending time with Him. He wants me to run as fast as I can to the water of His grace. He wants me to swim out and retrieve His mercy when He tosses it to me. He wants me to feel the warmth of His love in my heart and soul. He wants me to experience pure, complete and total joy when I am in His presence.

I'm thinking I should make more trips to the dog park, and I'm thinking I should watch and listen to more ... so much more ... than my dog.