Lessons from a Pit Bull Part 1

"for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." (Matthew 5:45, NRSV)

On April 17th of this year, I decided to take my Boston terrier, Buddy, on a walk.  We both rejoiced in the beautiful sky and cool temperatures.  We had walked this way many times before with  no problems.  In fact, I had walked that exact route the day before with my Lab, Squirt.

Buddy and I were obeying all the laws.  We were walking north on the southbound side of the road, Buddy was on a leash, and we were pulling over to the side for oncoming traffic.  We were in complete obedience.

Then the unthinkable happened.  Two dogs, one a collie mix and the other a pit bull, came running at us from behind a house on the other side of the street.  The pit bull was dragging a tie out cable.  Buddy and I continued to be obedient to our training and we did not run.  We stood still and I tried to keep Buddy behind me on the leash.

But the dogs had another idea.  All three dogs sniffed each other in greeting and then the pit bull growled.  I grabbed his cable and attempted to pull him away from Buddy.  We wrestled across the street until we all fell into a drainage ditch on the other side. 

The pack attack was on!  The collie mix pulled at Buddy's legs and the pit bull shook him by the scruff of his neck while I covered him with my body to try to protect his vital organs.  Buddy suffered not only MANY bites but also a torn ACL in his right hind leg and I suffered bites to both arms.

The terror and the pain of that attack has affected both Buddy and I for many weeks.  And I was haunted by the question, "Why, when we were doing everything right and nothing wrong, did we get so viciously attacked?"

Matthew 5:45 tells me why.  We as Christians, no matter how "right" things are, are going to suffer trials.  As a matter of fact, it is my opinion, that the more obedient we are, the more our old nature tries to knock us off track to damage our witness.

God does not spare us pain and suffering just because we are His children. Job tells us, "¹ There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil."  Job was obedient. He followed all the rules.  Yet, God allowed Satan to cause Job to suffer and as a result, Job's faith was made stronger.

It took a pit bull to remind me that even though I follow all the rules, God may still allow me to suffer.  Not because He hates me but because He loves me and wants me to mature in Him. 

He took a pit bull to remind me that what I do for God, whether it is attending church every Sunday, teach a Sunday School class or singing in th choir, will not keep me from suffering in this world.  For this I praise Him.  Not for the suffering, I'm not to the place where I "can call it joy," but for bringing me one step closer to the goal where I CAN call it all joy.  Thank you God!