Righteousness Revealed....or not.......

I watched anxiously as Lucky got off the phone and sadly shook his head.
"I didn't get the part," he woofed.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Did they say why?" I said comfortingly.
"They mentioned some rumors of willful disobedience," he growled.
"Hmmm," I mused, "I wonder who they heard that from?"
Lucky hung his head, his tawny ears drooping.
"I had such high hopes," he said, "Visions of helping support the family that has given so much to me...."
"Lucky.... are you telling the truth?"
"Well, ok, no, what I really had visions of was raiding the actor's lunch table. Remember how sumptuous the spread was for that commercial I shot last year?"
"Do you think maybe the director heard about that little indiscretion?" I asked.
"A dog has got to eat!" huffed Lucky.
"Yes, but a dog shouldn't steal to do so. Besides, you were supposed to be following my commands and playing catch with the little girl."
"That was boring," he said, "And not nearly as enticing as those roast beef sandwiches."
"Doing the right thing is sometimes not as exciting as lying, cheating, or stealing," I admitted, "But doing the wrong thing never stays hidden very long."
"Do you think that's why I lost the part?" he moaned.
"I don't know," I admitted, "But I do think that being cute is not going to get you through life. Character counts."
At this point, Lucky had had enough of my lecture and went to go hunt out a possible new weak point in the fence to go escape through.

Lucky really does look just like Orphan Annie's dog, Sandy. I don't know why he didn't get the part. The director probably didn't know that Lucky is not the world's most obedient dog, unless he reads this blog, in which case I have ruined Lucky's entire acting career forever. But still, I knew Lucky didn't deserve the role. His cheerful obedience is always hit and miss. If the lighthouse were directing its beam on Lucky, 99% of the time, he would be doing something he shouldn't be. Life has a way of reaping what is sown. We may act in darkness, but when the day comes, our true actions are always revealed eventually.

It is a hard lesson. Everything we do matters. Every thought and every action is seen by Someone. He is merciful, but He is also just. And justice requires a reckoning. At some point, the Director will call us in and tell us why we didn't get the part. He may still let us enter the Theater, but I think we will hang our head in shame and grief over the glorious role we might have played if we had prepared more devotedly,more righteously.

I glanced outside. Lucky was practicing sit/stay/come all on his own. I could hear him muttering, "Next time, I will be ready."

1 Corinthians 3:12-14 (New International Version)

¹²If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, ¹³his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. ¹⁴If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.