Our dog Chip is nearly 12. We have had him since he was six weeks old. I think it is safe to say I have loved him from day one. That's really quite a statement, because Chip isn't the easiest dog to love. He certainly doesn't fit my description of the perfect dog. To me a dog should large, slow moving and lets face it, dumb. Chip is none of these things. He is a Cairn terrier/toy poodle mix. He is small, moves like a water bug and is the smartest dog I have ever known. Not exactly my vision for the family pet; but I love him.
As a puppy Chip presented some interesting challenges not the least of which was teaching him how to walk while on a lease. Instead of walking at our side or even straining at the end of his lease, Chip would run continuous circles around us leading to much tangling of limbs and small children. No matter how embarrassed I was by these public displays however, I loved him. As Chip settled into our family it became apparent that he was a one person dog and that person was my wife, Betsy. He watched her every move and would go to any room she was in without fail, including the bathroom. I believe his attitude toward me could best be described as indifferent. No matter, I loved him anyway. To look at Chip now as he nears his 12th birthday, he quite honestly is not an attractive animal. He has lost a significant amount of his fur and his breath should be harvested for use as some kind of fuel. No, there's nothing my eyes tell that I should enamored with, but I still love him just as he is. There's the secret to understanding God's love. He loves us just as we are. As I thought about my relationship with Chip the parallels were so easy to see. When I was young I too was hard to train, if you will. There were plenty of mishaps and mayhem left in my wake. God loved me anyway. As I grew into adulthood it became apparent that my heart was set on one thing, and it sure wasn't God. I believe my attitude toward Him could have best been summed up as indifferent. But you know what, He loved me then just as much as He does know. You see it's not about how good we look as we go about our lives. We don't have to look good to look good to God. He loves us. It's that simple. The Bible says that God is love(1 John 4:8). He offers His love equally to all. He poured it out completely through the blood of His son, Jesus Christ. Love, that is God's love, is as deep and pure as it is simple. Thanks for the help Chip.
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