The Scent of the Master

We had our new semester dog class orientation last night. Our dog club is the oldest in Charlotte, and the talent of the instructors is only exceeded by their kindness. We love being a part of it and it really helps Honeybun with her social skills. They always do demonstrations of the things we will be learning and as usual, I was amazed what dogs can do. Many of these dogs understand English better than the average 8th grader.... and they are certainly more compliant.

The one that amazed me last night was a retriever. His master, Bit had a bag of leather and metal dumbbells. Bit picked one up out of the bag, and then a helper took the bag and placed ten other dumbbells 40 feet away. Bit and the dog then turned their back on the dumbbells, and the assistant took the dumbbell Bit held and hid it in the pile. We knew which one Bit had touched but Bit and her dog didn't. Then Bit told the dog to find it, and the retriever bounded to the pile and unerringly found the dumbbell Bit had touched and returned it to her. She would dance for joy with her dog then, slip him some scrumptious goody, and life was just as it should be for them both.

Well of course I started thinking about the message God was sending with that demonstration. First of all, if you have a nose, use it. And if it is really big, use it for really big things. I am certain that if the dog was an expert bicyclist, he would not be wasting his time sniffing out dumbbells but would be training for the Tour de France.

But the greater message to me is that the scent of the master is clear, and strong. If you know the Master, then you will know what belongs to Him and you will return to Him no matter how clamoring and crowded the other choices in life may become. And if you return each time, with delight and wagging tail, the Master rewards you and your joy is with Him.

Isaiah 55:10-12

¹⁰ As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

¹¹ so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

¹² You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands.