Jack wept and wimpered in the other room, her stomach boiling in angst and melancholy.
Jack’s owner—a man who loved and cared for her—had just finished scolding and whipping her for eating a fowl. Now, the much loved and cherished Jack cried without anyone to cuddle her and give her a gentle scratch.
An hour later, the owner gave Jack a soothing call. She answered the call without any grudge or hate but ran majestically while shaking her tail. Since that incident, I've learned a dog's definition of love.
The best friend a man has may turn against him and become his enemy. His child whom he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us—those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name—may become traitors to their faith. A person may lose their money. It can fly away when he needs it the most. A man’s reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action.
The people who are prone to fall on their knees and honor us when success is with us may be the first to throw stones of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our heads. But the one unselfish friend a man can have—the one that never deserts him and the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous—is his dog.
Jesus’ love, however, is superior to a dog’s kind of love. Love that warrants dying for another truly defines the concept of love—ultimate love. How pleasant it would be if our lives reciprocated such love.
Love with ultimate love—not a dog’s love.
(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)
(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)
Ezeh Goodness graduated from the Department of Biochemistry, University of Nigeria. He is a journalist in a local newspaper in Nigeria. He is also a youth pastor in his local church who enjoys seeing people lead a righteous life. You can contact him at ezehgoodness@gmail.com.