I’ve shared before about the dust mop of a dog we call Buster. Santa Claus gave him to our youngest daughter Klaire when she was in 4th grade. Buster has been referred to as the gift that kept on giving - sometimes that giving was good and sometimes it was not so good.
Buster was a Shih Tzu and I’m guessing, like most Shih Tzus, he snored, and snoring probably wouldn’t be so bad if he didn’t sleep in our bed and sleeping in our bed would probably not be so bad if he was not a bed hog. Besides that, he was the perfect house guest. Buster was a part of the family for 13 years and a few years ago he reached the end of his life.
Buster was really our first family pet and he was attached to the Blonde, so for 13 years he was Jennifer’s companion. Mostly blind, mostly deaf, mostly bald he was like a little old man at the end of his life. Buster became very anxious and had a chronic trembling; he had to be carried off the bed to eat and drink. Jennifer was getting up in the night sometimes two and three times to let him drink.
My point is we really didn’t see Buster getting old, it’s like one day this puppy that was full of energy and that liked to play fetch was now almost an invalid, requiring a lot of care and attention. It’s been fun to watch old videos of him and this is what made us realize we didn’t see the decline until it had reached its peak.
We miss Buster. After he passed away, I was thinking about banning the use of his name because it made me sad. Later I thought it would be okay to talk about him but just refer to him as “the dog.” That worked until we got a new dog - the world’s greatest Rough Collie named Captain.
All of this made me think about us, me and you. I wonder if it’s easy to drift from a spiritual perspective. As we get older physically, we may become less enthusiastic and energetic towards spiritual things or things of God. This is why the Apostle Paul told a young-middle aged preacher named Timothy to fan into flame the gift that had been given him (2 Timothy 1:6). Is it easy to let the fire burn out or at least become barely aglow? This is the word that Paul used in his letter to the Church at Rome, “Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor; be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord (Romans 12:11).” Paul also told us that he did not run the Christian race “like someone running aimlessly” (1st Corinthians 9:26). Aimless, I don’t ever want to be that. So what’s the remedy?
I’m a fan of the Red Letters and Jesus told the church in Revelation 2:45, “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the works you did at first.” That’s the remedy, remember what it was like to be in love with Jesus? Remember the wonder of Jesus and let that compel you to live a life with aim.
He told me to tell you that.
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