And a Bark to Sail Her By

Asherel believes God made dogs for 2 main purposes- 1. to dress up in humiliating outfits, including sunhats and bathing suits when children outgrow playing with dolls, 2. to alleviate the boredom of paddling kayaks.

Thus the two main purposes of dogs were satisfied in her eyes yesterday. Honeybun got to wear her new life jacket, though Asherel was disappointed I did not allow "doggles" (dog swim goggles) or dog flippers for her feet. She also got her first ride on a kayak, and did remarkably well. Of course, the entire kayak ride was spent shoveling food into Honeybun's greedy mouth so that she probably never noticed that she was no longer on dry land.

I cannot tell you how many times I have to tell Asherel , "She is a DOG not a TOY." I am glad Honeybun brings so much joy to my daughter, but I am unconvinced the joy is mutual. Honeybun acquiesces more willingly than Lucky however, who was on the kayak for about 5 seconds before figuring out this is not what dogs were made to do, and jumped off swimming as fast as he could for shore towing Asherel behind him.

Of course there is a lesson here. There always is. God is lurking in every blade of grass waiting to teach us if we take the time to notice. We are all made for a purpose. We may try to force ourselves to conform to a purpose we were never intended to conform to, and we may even find some success in those endeavors. But I think that there are some things we were never intended to do, and we insist on doing them anyway. (Don't worry Asherel, I think HB maybe did really like kayaking, and she is an unusual dog in that perhaps that is the purpose God intended for her....). I think one of the two hardest questions in life relate to this. What is our purpose and how do we know it when we find it? The second question is how do I know it is God speaking and not my own voice?

I don't know the answer for sure to either, but I will take a stab at a thought or two. I think joy accompanies discovery of a true purpose. Not just a transient happiness, but a deep abiding joy that seeps into every pore, a contentment, a sense of fitness and rightness. And I think God's voice is detected in its persistence. I think we can drown out His voice til we no longer hear it, but I think if we are earnestly seeking to hear, He will persist til we understand it is Him speaking.

And sometimes His purpose is as unexpected and incongruous as a dog paddling a kayak.

Psalm 138:8 (New International Version)

⁸ The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;
your love, O LORD, endures forever—
do not abandon the works of your hands.