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God Loves the Scruffy
Joe Killian • June 23, 2017
I met Scruffy the other day and Edna, his owner, warned me that, "He will sniff you but won't let you pet him." I took that as a challenge during our two days working at Edna's. I eventually won Scruffy over. This past Sunday, I joined 124 others on a mission trip to Webster Springs, WV. On Monday I joined a team assigned to rebuild Edna's railing from her front porch up to the highway where her pickup truck was parked. I share this story because it relates to the Gospel.
Jesus said to the Twelve: "Fear no one. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father." Matthew 10:26-33
Jesus assures His apostles that they have nothing to fear "in the world." He speaks of the loving care of the Father for His creation. Those that acknowledge God are secure. Relationship with God is at the root of His followers responsibility to share the Good News with others. This is true regardless of circumstance.
When I met Edna and Scruffy I was immediately struck by Edna's strength and fortitude. She described her upbringing and her struggles in raising her own children. She had lived a hard life. And yet she had great faith in God. She had taken Scruffy in from an abusive owner and the two of them lived together happily.
We were there to minister to Edna. However it was her faith and trust in God, living such a meager life, that was truly an inspiration for us all. Even Scruffy seemed to demonstrate a certain fearless fortitude. We must all live that way. We must trust God and as Edna does, fearlessly proclaim God's saving message.
Thank you Edna for demonstrating your fearless faith!
The story continues...I'm still working on the pondless waterfall in our front yard. I shared this project with you two weeks ago in Playin' In the Dirt. Since then I've had to rework sections of the stream three different times because we were losing too much water. I am now an expert on evaporation rates and excessive splash, two causes of water loss. This morning I tore the whole thing apart and I'm starting over.
Have you ever watched DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda? I stumbled across it recently and thoroughly enjoyed Jack Black's performance as a bumbling, noodle selling, kung fu enthusiast, giant panda named P o. Set in ancient China, it is more than a humorous slapstick comedy. The core message of the story jumped out at me as I have been focusing recently on the concept of being. Po is shockingly identified as the Dragon Warrior and he reluctantly enters training. The goal of the training is to receive the Dragon Scroll, which is believed to hold the secret to limitless power. Now I don't want to spoil the big reveal but I will say that what Po realizes is the same as what I speak to in the concept of being and authentic identity. So, where do we find the secret to our "power?" I praise You, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works! My very self You know. Psalm 139:14 God knows it; and we must seek Him with all of our hearts in order to find it. As it was in the movie, the answer is stunningly simple. Our authentic identity is already within us. The challenge for Po in the movie was in seeing himself accurately and not the way others saw him. Even his teacher scoffed at the idea that Po was anything more than an underachieving dreamer who overate when he was anxious. Po's problems are rooted in the fact that he believes the lie of his false identity much more than he does his authentic one. Is it possible that you do the same? Who could have imagined that beneath all of Po's girth lived the Dragon Warrior? What's hidden from view in you? Seek God for understanding as to who He created you to be. Spoiler Alert: the secret of your limitless power is already in you. God placed it there and He wants you to be who He authentically created you to be.
Maria and I have been playing in the dirt a lot recently. First we replaced our French drain and then we embarked on a creative project intended to change the entire look of our front yard. My brother Jeffrey and I installed a new front step.
