Oh, so much to learn from a dog.  I liked the part about forgiving before you get hurt.  It's so true.  If you accidentally hurt your dog, his reaction is only a split second before he's happy to be around you once again.

Another good thing that dogs teach is that gentle affection can give anybody a lift, but aggressive or smothering affection will only succeed in annoying the recipient.

That, and a handshake is one of the least offensive ways to greet someone. 

There are a few things I never learned from my dog, tho'.  Enough said about that.  I have a question.  Tina commented on my comment I left on your site yesterday.  When I went to see what I had said (brain fart), it had someone else's username?  Do you think it's a glitch? 

Okay, it's your tag when we exit your site.  I dunno know how it generated. 

For the purpose of engaging your conversation here and moving the journey forward for the sake of the Kingdom of God...

Let me just say (type) that I have nothing against dogs!  However, I'm convinced I shouldn't spend my time learning how to live life from them.  My sufficiency and completeness, my "author and finisher" of the faith springs solely from "the new and living way" of person and work of Jesus Christ who has become for me "the way, the truth and the life".  And as John says in 1 John 2:2-6,

"He [Christ] is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked."

Therefore, it is by Christ alone that I can know how I should walk and live and flesh out my existence.  Dogs, while great companions and adorable animals, are not my teachers - examples at times but not teachers.  While I might see things of Christ dimly in others and in creation, I should never turn to them first or even primarily to learn what this "new creation" in Christ looks like in me.  For the good news of Christ has reached me and I can rejoice over the feet of those who have brought the good news into my existence - starting with the Apostles and going all the way through history to my parents and other faith proclaimers.  And each of us should continue to run to the Word and run in the way of the Word for Christ has enlarged our hearts to do so! (Psalm 119:32)  And if you have never known this please read the posts that Lance has put together under Admit 1,2,3; Submit; Commit; Transmit... these are all great pieces and will get you running in the right direction!  God is for us not against us and he can enlarge each surrendered heart to do these things!

So while we learn from Christ how to abide and walk in Him as his Spirit comforts, convicts and guides us through the Scriptures we can then take these insights given to us by the grace of God and "put on God glasses" and see creatively how that is being demonstrated in and throughout our known world.  But this picture will always only be a reflection and a dim one at that.  I'm afraid we're on very shaky ground to simply learn from dogs how life should be lived.  If that is our confession then it seems to me to be a very disappointing and hopeless view of what the power of God is doing in us unto salvation.

For the renown of God in Christ,
JC

hi jc,

i respect ur faith and ur opinion.  however, it is my opinion that ur thinking neglects the possibility that God in has ifinit wisdom can and does use all of his creation to teach us life lessons.  i feel God's presence when i look into the eyes of my  dog?

FKI, very nicly writen!  thank u for understanding!!

I like the idea of forgiving BEFORE people hurt you.

I love how the dog is happy to see me, no matter what!

God in has ifinit wisdom can and does use all of his creation to [remind] us life lessons

I'm not sure that general revelation can teach us those things which God has specially revealed... isn't this the whole reason for them being specially revealed?  For example, Ephesians 4:32 says, "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."  How would we know how to forgive in a way that pleases God unless we had the example of Christ to follow?

Where would we be apart from the Scriptures?  We would each be going our own way... and we wouldn't know the way of Christ.

I hope that better clarifies my point.  I'm not saying there are not life lessons in the created order but I'm saying we don't understand what those lessons are apart from God's special revelation in the person of Christ and the Scriptures.

Wow!  That was a great post!

In Christ,

Mary

I just wrote a short piece on the philosophy of "belonging" within peoples various opinions within society, if you have time check it out and tell me what you think.

Steve - Dogs are smart. Some of them more than others, tho. hehehe.

Snow - Yes, forgiving before being hurt is also very difficult... at least for me.

Gitsom - I dunno.

Tina - Huh????

JC - I'm glad you came back, because I was on the verge of being very dissappointed in your response. Ro 1:20 is a good reference, I think. There are MANY more in scripture extoling us to seek wisdom from nature.

Brooke - I agree. The bible is a tool, but it isn't all there is. Like the law, it has its place and its value, but also its limits. The relationship is infinitely more than words in a book.

Jen - Yes, and that's so hard for me...

Poet Rose - Thanks. I'll stop by there.

Mary - Gee, thanks.

Joel - LOL. It isn't my dog - I am reposting what a friend of a friend wrote - because I was impressed and I learned some things.

Charles - Okay.

"I'm not saying there are not life lessons in the created order but I'm saying we don't understand what those lessons are apart from God's special revelation in the person of Christ and the Scriptures."

JC, then I have to ask, why did Paul tell the Romans that those who do not know Christ were without excuse for they had creation to reveal the Lord to them? 

He was saying that because all will stand judgment when the Lord returns and there is enough evidence within creation for them to have to give an account based on the created order.  You can't read Romans 1 without reading Romans 10... it's all within context.  Paul was showing that men have chosen to supress the truth.  Even though since creation the evidence is mounting.  He says the righteous live by faith in what God has revealed, while the unrighteous live by supressing [doubt, discrediting, distorting, and even denying] the truth.

You said that "those who do not know Christ were without excuse for they had creation to reveal the Lord to them".  Look closely at what it does say, [Rom. 1:19-25]

"For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen."

There is only so much that can be known through the general revelation of God.  Granted Paul says that it is enough that "they are without excuse" but as he goes on to very pointedly share in Rom. 10:1-21 it is the word of Christ that produces the faith that is needed to be saved.  While the Jews spent generation upon generation trying to be saved based on works of righteousness through the law it was credited to them as nothing.  Meanwhile we [as Gentiles] have spent generation upon generation trying to be saved based on our works without the Law.  This is why Paul is emphatic that he echo Christ's command to be sent for how else will people hear?  The implication is there is not hope for them apart from us going and proclaiming.   

I've begun going into this general topic in more detail on my site if you're interested.

JC - I disagree with you. The Holy Spirit has inspired men from Adam to us. Enoch didn't have scripture, yet walked with God. Abraham had no book. It is by the revelation of Jesus we understand the process of salvation, but specific revelation comes from God's Spirit as it speaks to us personally. Who are you to judge a person for saying they learned basic life lessons from God's creation? Did Jesus Himself not use parables of animals and even plants to discuss and explain heavenly things? How do you know it was entirely "general revelation" from the dog? And even if it was "general revelation," does that in some way diminish its value or importance? Your comments overall here strike me as insultive in the extreme. That said, I am not angry with you - but disappointed in your approach.

Snow - What can I say? There was no claim of revelations from God in the post, though I confess I felt as though the Lord had things to say to me in it and things to share with others. General or specific? Does it matter? The mole hill might well be a mountain, but with faith it can still be flung into the sea!

"There was no claim of revelations from God in the post, though I confess I felt as though the Lord had things to say to me in it and things to share with others."

As I have shown in my first comment here, I agree.  I just didn't like seeing a sweet little something about relationships being trampled on because it wasn't deemed Christian enough  to be of any value.  By that standard, we shall all fall.

I believe some of the lessons learned here are more than basic life lessons.  Forgiveness, serving in love, these are things that are so difficult for the selfish human to grasp, but seem to come so naturally for a dog, and we can learn a lot about our relationships with God and with others through our dogs.  Did not Jesus Himself compare a woman to a dog?  And rather than get insulted, she understood the comparison as her humble station in the Master's household.  Yes, the Lord can use animals to teach us valuable lessons.  We just have to be open to what the Lord would reveal to us and not beat our beasts, as Balaam did, because we refuse to see what our animal who loves us sees.