Are you a pound puppy?

Last week my daughters little birthday puppy disappeared.  I am not really sure how it got out of the yard, as there are no gaping holes in the fence.  And even if he did get out, I find it a wee bit hard to believe he ran off as he NEVER runs off when we let him out front to wander while the kids ride their bikes of I mow the lawn.  He was a pretty content and home bound pup.  But whatever occurred, he is gone now and has been despite the fliers littering a 2 block radius of our home. 

The other day, Hannah was watching her beloved Cailou and Gilbert, Cailou's cat went missing so his dad took him to the Animal Shelter to look for him.  Since then, she has been begging me to take her to the shelter in her continued search.  I complied and piled all three of the kids into the car to venture in a rough part of Stockton, before that day I could honestly say I had never been to that part of town before.  We finally found the shelter and did the walk through the kennels of similar descriptions to no avail.  Tinners was still lost.  But the Kennel held 500+ lost and stray dogs.  Hannah cried the whole way home, thinking I left Tiny behind as a female looked similar to her lost love.

On the drive home, I couldn't help but make a parable out of the trip.  Here were dogs, living in a cage, literally, content with their lives for they didn't know better.  Everyone of these dogs belonged in some one's back yard, or snuggled at the foot of a child's bed; Fed treats upon tricks, wagging a happy tail.  The dogs in the kennel had their basic needs met, sure.  Food, water and a clean concrete floor.  I thought, I wonder how many of us are happy in our own kennel because we can't think outside of the cage of life's circumstance? How many of us settle our happiness for our basic needs being met? There are over 680,000 people living in Stockton.  This is a fact I learned recently.  As I drive through town I see so many people wandering around miserably content with their lives.  So many lost souls missing out on the Joy that comes outside the kennel of bondage that the world has to offer.  So many people in need of the tail wagging happiness that only eternal life can offer through a relationship with Jesus Christ. 

It makes me sad to think about the dogs in the pound that will never find that relationship with an owner.  No one willing to adopt them into their family, ultimately ending in their euthanized death.  How many of us will miss out on our adoption into God's family? My mouth, I admit, gaped in horror when I realized the ransom I would have to pay should Tiny ever end up in that pound.  $350 for his capture fee, and a $17 holding fee for every day he stays in he pound.  But honestly, I would probably pay it to get Hannah her lost dog back.

Jesus paid our ransom too, to get us, his lost children back from the clutches of death. So that we do not die apart from him, but rest eternally in the comfort of his loving arms. How many lost people does he weep for the way my daughter sobbed for her lost dog? How many of us, already in his kingdom are doing everything we can to help find his lost, in order to bring them back to their eternal home?

Just a few thoughts....okay Lord, thank you for another lesson of compassion for your people.  Help me to use it to glorify your kingdom.  Now, will you PLEASE answer my daughter's prayer and bring her lost pup home? Pretty please?