canine college part II

Once again, I have had the unique privilege of being taught by my sweet Min-Pin, Chico.

There is a saying that ‘with age, comes wisdom’ and many believe that to be true. However, I believe that with age, experience and a teachable spirit, wisdom comes. It comes with seizing every opportunity as one to learn something new or to be reminded of something important.

The other day, Chico had just come in from outside. It was early in the morning – a time when I am usually still up in my room reading or studying. However, this particular morning, I was downstairs and standing by the kitchen sink when my mom let him inside. A slight change in routine for me – and a change Chico could sense as soon as he came through the door.

Now, I have heard it said that, as one sense weakens, others strengthen. Well, as Chico continues to age – experiencing some days where his eyesight is better than others – he has come to rely upon sound, smell, touch … and memory.

Well, as soon as he came in, he sensed I was downstairs and started searching – sniffing and checking. I stood motionless, just waiting to see how long it would take him to find me. His first stop was the den. He went right to the chair where I always sit – not there. Then he went over to the desk where I sometimes work – not there. He then came into the kitchen – by the table and near the chair where I normally eat – not there either! He went down the hall, into the living room, back to the den and then came back to the kitchen. And, after checking my chair again, finally found me by the sink.

He was so excited! It made me smile and I just picked him up and hugged him.

Even though Chico could not see me or hear me, he perceived that I was present. Therefore, he used his other senses to find me. He drew upon his knowledge of my nature and his past experience to determine my location. He checked all the places where he normally finds me – places where, apparently, the ‘footprint of my presence’ (my scent) still lingered. He searched and searched until he found me.

LET THE LESSON BEGIN

There are times when I feel like Chico – when I cannot see God or hear Him or physically feel Him. There are times when I cry out like Job, ‘Oh, that I knew where I might find Him, that I might come to His seat!’ (Job 23:3). Yet I cannot walk by feelings in those instances. I have to walk by faith and not by sight – faith in what I know to be true about my Master:
- There is no one like Him (I Sam. 2:2)
- He delights in me (Ps. 37:23)
- He will never leave me nor forsake me (Heb. 13:5)
- He will be found by me when I search for Him (Lk. 11:10)

‘You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart’. That is what it says in Jeremiah 29:13. And, like Chico, we have to develop a dogged (pardon the pun) determination when it comes to pursuing God.

In doing so, we may need to adjust the methods we have become accustomed to using. Even after I have checked all the places where I usually find Him – old processes, specific places, familiar verses – I might have to realize that He is doing something different. I might have to press in a little deeper and search a little harder but the end result is well worth the search. I will find Him!

He desires to be found and leads us to Himself – and is so excited when we reach Him. Psalm 37:23 states, ‘The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way. That word delight in the Hebrew is defined as ‘take pleasure in; to move; to bend down’. I believe that when we truly seek Him and find Him, God reaches down and scoops us up in His arms, because He is so pleased with our efforts – just like I did with Chico.

Once again, God has used the simple to confound the wise – Zenobia Wise, that is.

Wisdom speaks in Proverbs 8:17, ‘I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me.'

Wisdom can be attained if we earnestly seek it and God will be found as we desperately seek Him.

Be Blessed!