Tucked into Safety

You only have to be around me for a little while to know that I love dogs. There's just something special about their demeanor and their forgiving nature. Those who are members of our family all have distinct personalities; and most are more than a little spoiled. Regardless of their size, they also all have me pegged as the sucker who will take one look at their big sad eyes, the heads cocked to the side in pretend confusion, and the droopy tails...and give in to whatever they want.

Especially Kody Bear; my sister in law's gorgeous Husky who has huge blue eyes and an inquisitive personality. He believes that he is an 80 pound lap dog. And Auntie Paula is all too happy to get down in the floor and let him lay in my lap. I love the soft peppermints that melt away in your mouth. I found very quickly that Kody does too after finding him nosing around in my purse. I had no idea what he was after. I put my purse back up on the bed, and walked out of the room, only to find him a few minutes later with it back down on the floor, trying to get it open. Later that day, Kody was outside in the back yard, when I pulled a mint out of my purse and went to open it. At the first rattle of the cellophane, Kody and his brother Jake were at my feet with their tails wagging. I don't know how they heard the crinkle from outside, much less made it across the entire length of the house and into the bedroom that quickly!

Last Christmas, Kody was still just a baby, not even a year old. We had traveled to New Mexico to visit for the holiday, and had taken Baby; our chihuahua/yorkie mix. Kody; nearly 10 times her size, was fascinated with her. He went everywhere she did, and didn't seem to understand why she could get up on the couch, and sit in someone's lap and he couldn't. He went in and out the doggie door and then would sit and wait patiently for her to follow. Baby could go out just fine, but coming in was a problem because her little legs weren't tall enough to make the jump. So being the dutiful friend, Kody would run round and round the house, until someone went to the door and opened it for her to come in!

The third canine member of my in-laws household was Rusty. We lost him a little over a year ago. Rusty became Baby's protector. If you've ever been around Huskies, they have a way of "talking" unlike any other dog I've ever seen. When Kody and Jake played too rough, and Baby yelped or whined, Rusty would fuss at the other two. The first day we were there, in order for Baby to eat, we'd have to take her to the bedroom and shut the door. The next day, Baby wandered into the laundry room to get water. Jake followed, and without meaning to be rough, shoved her out of his way. Out of nowhere came Rusty. He growled at Jake, and being the bigger dog forced him from the room. Then he laid across the door and refused to let the other two dogs in...until Baby had gotten a drink.

And so began the rituals for the remainder of our visit. I'd put Baby's food down, Rusty would guard the door until she was through eating. If Jake or Kody came near the door, he would growl, bark or fuss at them. Then about day four, I noticed something different. Baby was finished eating, Rusty was still laying across the door, but Baby was curled up with her head on his front legs. His head down over hers, where only her nose peeked out and she was sound asleep, with Rusty keeping watch while she napped.

Psalm 91:9-10 says (NIV)

If you make the Most High your dwelling-
even the LORD, who is my refuge-

Then no harm will befall you

no disaster will come near your tent.

But I really love the way the same verses in The Message read:

Yes,when God's your refuge,
and you make the High God your very own home,
Evil can't get close to you,
harm can't get through the door.

Just as Baby felt safe enough to sleep under the protection of the bigger dog...What if we had the same faith to simply rest under God's wings of protection?

David promises us in the 91st chapter that if we will trust Him, he will cover us. If we will will dwell in the Most High...that we can rest in His shadow. If we love him...He will rescue us. If we call on him...He will answer us: be with us in times of trouble, deliver us, and give us long life.