Overall, Charlie is a very good dog. He doesn’t mess in the house, he doesn’t bite, and he doesn’t USUALLY bark excessively.
Charlie’s biggest mistakes are being insistent on going out when he has already been and sneaking food from low tables whenever possible. To solve most of his disciplinary issues, we utilize a squirt bottle. His face gets sprayed with water whenever an infraction occurs. This is a highly effective deterrent, and merely showing the squirt bottle ends most naughty behavior.
On occasion, though, I have been known to yell at Charlie when he is being bad. “Charlie! Bad dog!” Those simple words in an angry voice cause him to stop, put his ears down, and come cowering to my side. He absolutely does not like yelling and he definitely doesn’t like me to be upset with him.
Charlie never questions my upsets. He doesn’t avoid the confrontation. Instead, he immediately takes responsibility for causing a disturbance. He wants things to be set right again as soon as possible. He is so sweet and cuddly, and clearly so apologetic, I can’t help but forgive him immediately!
We aren’t like that with one another, though, are we? If someone says that we have upset them, we don’t claim responsibility. Either that person was mistaken, we were misunderstood, or perhaps our intentions were taken out of context. We don’t do things wrong, and we definitely don’t hurt people. Apologies don’t come quickly in our society.
The opposite is true, too. Whenever someone wrongs US, we can’t let that go. Even if an apology does come, it probably wasn’t meant or it came with an ulterior motive.
No. Apologies aren’t given and they aren’t accepted. Forgiveness is not something we do very well.
No wonder we have such a hard time with God. We can’t forgive or apologize to one another. How can we imagine a God who not only accepts our apologies, but one who SEEKS to forgive us? But, that is exactly the kind of God Jesus shows to us. Just think of the many parables of finding something lost. The lost coin, the lost sheep, and especially the lost son.
God loves us so much. When we have failed, all we have to do is ask for forgiveness, and it is granted. No intention or explanation is necessary. Jesus tells us, too, that we need to learn to love each other as God loves us. That means forgiving one another.
We’re people, not dogs. Forgiveness is a bit harder than petting a sad pup. But, we have a greater capacity to love than Charlie does.
Let’s love each other and forgive and ask for forgiveness. Then we can all be good! Right, Charlie?
Christy Cabaniss - Parish Minister
