Great Dog Stories

Read Great Dog Stories for Free Online Page B

Book: Read Great Dog Stories for Free Online
Authors: M. R. Wells
This:
    Have you ever felt God showing restraint toward you when you didn’t deserve it? How did it encourage you? How did it deepen your relationship with Him? Is God calling you to show loving restraint toward someone in your life right now? What would that look like?

Stuart’s Heart Vision Goggles
It’s What’s Inside That Counts
    And now here is my secret, a very simple secret;
it is only with the heart that one can see rightly,
what is essential is invisible to the eye.
    A NTOINE DE S AINT -E XUPÉRY
    I think I should hire Stuart to help me choose my friends. He seems to have a special instinct about people. It’s as if he’s got heart vision goggles that help him look past their outer appearance to their true inner selves.
    Stuart is great at telling us which folks he does or doesn’t like. If he’s uncomfortable with whoever is coming into our home, he makes a big deal of barking and acting uneasy. If we allow them in anyway, he will keep barking at them or stick close to us and go into protective mode.
    One time a salesman came to my door and wanted to sell me a cleaning product I had never heard of before. He showed me what it could do by using it to clean my front porch table. I was curious to find out more and he seemed safe enough, so I let him in. Stuart was very unhappy about this. He would not settle down. I tried to make him go outdoors, but he would have none of it. He stayed right by my side the whole time the salesman was there. Every time the man would get close to me in the course of showing his wares, Stuart would growl at him. The man seemed harmless to me, but later on in the day I noticed that the little calculator I had left on the porch table was gone. Maybe Stuart knew more than I did.
    Stuart is also quick to let us know when he likes someone. He welcomes the visitor with bright eyes and happy woofs. This is what he did the first time our daughter Christy brought a very special young man named Steven home to meet us—a young man who would become her husband.
    Naturally, Steven was somewhat nervous to meet Christy’s parents. Little did he know that he would first be vetted by our dog. Stuart greeted Christy and then checked out her beau. Stuart’s calm, sweet spirit seemed to shout, “This guy can stay!” As Steven walked through the entry into our living room, Stuart barked happily, inviting his new friend—well, actually begging him!—to go outside and play ball. We all headed into the backyard and the bonding began. Stuart stuck close to Steven for the rest of the evening, sitting beside him, smiling his goofy corgi smile.
    To the world, Steven is a wonderful young man with a heart of gold. Still, he’s not royalty or a rock star. Steven has celebrity status in Stuart’s eyes, however. These days, Steven can’t come into our home without going straight to the backyard to join Stuart in a game of ball. When they come back in, Stuart sits right beside him. I’ve never seen him take to anyone as fast as he did Steven. I’m sure he also may have sensed that Christy loved him, and that helped his decision. But even so, his unconditional love surprised us because it was so fast and easy. Our son, John, told Steven he had never seen Stuart act like that. Even John himself had not gotten Stuart’s doggie stamp of approval as quickly as Steven did.
    Stuart’s sense of people is helpful, but he’s still just a dog. God can help us infinitely more. Our all-knowing Lord sees exactly what’s in people’s hearts. Jesus demonstrated this during His earthly ministry. There were religious leaders in His day who looked fabulous on the outside, but Jesus called them “whitewashed tombs.” He wasn’t fooled by their outward charade of righteousness. He knew their hearts weren’t right and they needed to confess their sin and come to Him for forgiveness. There were also people who, like Steven, were either quite normal-looking on the outside or looked downright “yucky” to the

Similar Books

A Touch Too Much

Chris Lange

His Black Wings

Astrid Yrigollen

Little People

Tom Holt