Dekker answers several questions on faith
Dekker dives a bit deeper this month into questions on faith and spiritual practice. He answers questions from his canine perspective about what it means to be faithful, how to pray and forgive, how to worship, and what to do when you can’t go to church.
Dear Dekker,
I went to the animal shelter because I wanted to get a dog.
But I don’t want just any old dog. I want one that is going to be
faithful, who will never leave my side and not chase after every
temptation that crosses his path. How do I tell which
dog I should choose?
Thanks, Lonely Larry
Woof, Larry,
Dogs, like people, are wired for love and faithfulness. Sometimes people fall short of being faithful and I think it is because no one has scratched their ears or given them kibble for every neat thing they do.
I would let the dog choose you because dogs don’t look at the color of your hair or the shape of your paws. They are listening to your heart and will teach you to listen to theirs if you are willing.
But once you have been chosen, always carry kibble and kind words, sprinkling them both frequently. Scratching his butt is good insurance too. Your new dog will always be tempted to follow his nose, but if the rewards for staying are better than running off, you’ve got yourself a dog for life.
Isn’t this how people stay faithful too?
Dear Dekker,
Do dogs pray? What do they pray about? Who do they pray to?
I live with a couple of cats who feel they are the supreme beings in the household. But I would never pray to them!
Polly, the Cat Lady
Woof, Polly!
Prayer is a special kind of communication that dogs are very good at. I don’t understand why people talk so much when they pray. They never seem to listen and that is mostly what I do.
Of course, there are times I am full of joy and “woof” in delight. I think you would call that singing praises. But mostly I listen. I don’t have a name for who I am listening to. Do you?
But sometimes I will get up in the night to go check on my person because it feels like I have been called. Who calls me is Mystery.
Now, about those cats…might they have special callings too?
Dear Dekker,
I was hurt by someone I really care about.
I thought she loved me, but she told me last night that
she was finished with me and doesn’t want to see me anymore.
She has found a new ‘significant other’ as she calls him.
I don’t know how to forgive her and move on.
Sad Sad Sam
Woooooof, Sam.
Something similar happened to a beagle I knew once. Without any warning, Bumper’s person dropped him off at a shelter and never saw him again. He was the saddest pup in the kennel, refused to eat, and lost a lot of weight.
Until the day when Juanita came in with her three children and they fell in love with this little dog. In a flash, Bumper started licking their faces and his tail began to wag for the first time in weeks.
Moving on comes easily to us dogs because we live only in the present moment — as long as we have nothing around with a scent of the past. No toys, no people clothes, nothing to remind us who we have been with. That is an important key.
Remove every trace of this woman’s scent so that when someone discovers you, you will be free to leap into their arms and lick their face and discover a whole new world of smells and love. Forgiveness happens when you move on.
Dear Dekker
I have always been a church-goer, and worshipping
surrounded by other people is a very important part of my life.
Our church is closed because of the pandemic and now I am alone.
How can I worship without other people and a beautiful sanctuary?
Worried Wanda
Woof Wanda!
What exactly do you mean by worship? If worship is adoration then I think I know what you mean.
Everywhere I go people say they adore me. They are not gathered together, nor do they all believe the same thing, but they all seem to be able to express their adoration wherever they are.
Why isn’t worship of God that easy?
Is it singing and an organ you are missing or the community of people? Before I came to live with my person, I lived with a community of other dogs. We ate together. Played together. And when we were free and happy we barked together.
You wouldn’t call it singing exactly, but then you are not a dog. Then one by one we each went to live in a single home with a person and there was no more community as we knew it. For a little while, I didn’t think I could ever be happy again.
Occasionally I have a golden retriever friend who comes and we bark and jump and remember the good old days. Is this something you could do with one or two people from your church community?
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