ALL TAIL WAGS AND LICKS

I’ve never been a dog person (eye roll) until Abe came into my life.

Those that know me well are as shocked as me to see my dramatic conversion. Abe has taught me much of the character of God. No, I’m not saying God is like a dog. But rather our dog reflects some of what I’ve come to know of the goodness of God. 

Abe is ALWAYS happy to see us, whether we’ve been gone 2 minutes or 2 hours, he’s all tail wags and licks, like it’s the best moment of his life, ever! I can’t help but think this is how God feels when we come to Him (minus the wags and licks). I imagine His eager grin to greet us with all of His warmth and love. 

Abe just wants to be near us, whatever we’re doing, he finds a way to plop down as close as possible so some part of him is touching us. And he’s so content in that nearness. And again, I see God. How He just wants to be near us, wants us to draw near to Him. He’s offering comfort and peace in His presence; for us to find that ‘all is well’ kind of contentment with Him. 

(I can’t believe I’m writing a blog about our dog, what has happened to me!?! But alas, I’m going to keep going…)

Abe does not judge us. He doesn’t wait to see what kind of day we’ve had before he decides to be with us. His love is unconditional. He loves us because we are his people, his family. He doesn’t choose to love us based on what we accomplish! He could care less how many social media followers I have or how many records I sell. He just loves me. Just as God, in some mysterious way too great for me to fully comprehend, just loves me because I’m me and not because of what I do. (Though this reality, sometimes hurts my brain because it goes against the grain.)

And God just loves you because of who you are, not because of what you accomplish.

What if we loved others so freely too? What if we took off the judgmental metrics that we subconsciously filter our love through? What if we were happy to greet people, to see their value and delight in them simply because of who they are and not what they do or what they could do for us? This is loving extravagantly, a love that’s generously offered with no thought of self or gain. A love that’s all ‘tail wags and licks’. 

I think of the scene from the movie up where the dog says, ‘I just met you and I love you!’. What if that’s how we treated those around us? Coming out from behind the arbitrary protective barriers we’ve become so comfortable with.

We can’t do this staring at a screen. We’ve got to put our screens down to see the wondrous beauty of the real lives that we are interacting with every day. Make it your goal that no one you cross paths with throughout your day feels invisible.

I’ve heard new studies have found that loneliness is reaching epidemic proportions in our culture. This is ironic in a time when we’re supposedly more connected than ever. But while connected digitally, as a culture we are losing the art of connecting in real life.

Think of the last time you waited in line for something. How many people stared at their phones while they waited? Was striking up a conversation with the stranger standing near you a common sight? We’ve lost the art of seeing those around us. We’ve lost the art of being ‘all tail wags and licks’. 

You see, when I take Abe on walks in our neighborhood he wants to greet everyone. Everyone he sees is a potential friend. He pulls on his leash until I walk him near to say, hello. What can we learn from this? I’m shy by nature, but Abe is helping pull me out of my shell.

What if (gasp) we left our screens in our pockets or purses when we were with other people and chose rather to look them in the eye and convey their worth and dignity by greeting them with a smile. This simple act can change everything.

Let’s try it and see what happens next…