Comment to “A Boy and a Dog”

I’ve recently been reading John Eldredge’s book “The Way of the Wild Heart.”  (Check it out at amazon.com, then go buy it at abebooks.com, alibris.com, or christianbookbag.com for half the price.)  I definitely recommend this book for any guy and especially for fathers or father figures.  Eldredge takes a look at six areas of a man’s life (the beloved son, the cowboy, the warrior, the lover, the king, and the sage) and shows biblically how to live out that area to the fullest.  It’s a much more balanced book than “Wild At Heart” in my opinion.

Anyhow, in his chapter describing man as lover, Eldredge describes two common mistakes men have made concerning their hearts:  (1) give in to whatever passions come and (2) discipline the heart ruthlessly.  Speaking of the second, he writes, “But discipline without healing doesn’t work real well over time, and it can do great damage to our hearts, which begin to feel like the enemy so we’ll do what we can to kill them in order to avert disaster” (Eldredge 2006, p. 210).

That’s the impetus for “A Boy and a Dog.”  It’s the story of a boy being forced to kill his undisciplined dog but it’s also the story of mankind killing his heart and his love for fear of what may come.  It hurts, it numbs us, but it’s safe.

I for one want a whole heart, even if it’s not necessarily the safest thing in the world.  Men, after all, are made in the image of God, and God is far from safe.  As C. S. Lewis put it in “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” (p. 75-76):

“If there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than me or else just silly.”

“Then he isn’t safe?” asked Lucy.

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver.  “Don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you?  Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe.  But he’s good.  He’s the King, I tell you.”

A Boy and a Dog

Just a mutt. He’s just a no-good mutt.

At least, that’s what the boy kept telling himself, saying it over and over in his head as if the more he said it, the truer it would become, as if it meant something.

Part Border collie, part German shepherd. In happier days, the boy would have gladly thrown some wolf into the mix. Even on this day, the thought distracted him enough to bring a brief smile.

Just a stupid mutt.

“You’ve got to take care of that damn dog of yours,” Cunningham had said, waving the bloody remains of what might have, only hours ago, been a fat hen, the yellow feathers speckled with dirt and blood.

“Stupid dog,” the boy accented his words with a swift but ill-aimed kick. “Just a mutt” merely turned his ugly face to the boy and wagged his tail.

The boy stomped on, his feet making a soft thudding noise on the wet dead leaves. His feet were cold and his toes numb from the wetness that had soaked through, but he wasn’t aware of it. His mind was on the dog, the stupid dog, the “just a mutt” that trotted beside him.

My King Who Comes Again

Jesus is coming soon to take up his throne on the earth

A few years ago, I went to the OneThing Conference in Kansas City, run by the International House of Prayer team.  The worship was great.  The messages were amazing.  As my friend Ryan said, “Woah!  God’s here.”  It changed my life.

What stood out most to me was the idea that Jesus really is returning some day.  He’s coming soon, just like he promised.  It’s not a myth; it’s not a fictional story to give us Christians some encouragement until we die.  No, this is the real deal.  Jesus really is coming back.