“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” (Isaiah 1:18-20)
Charlie bounded down the trail like all good goofballs do. Mouth hanging open, tongue loose and free, eyes wide and focused straight ahead with no regard to his owner desperately trying to keep up. It was a crisp fall day and the trail at West Woods was deserted so it was a great opportunity to give Charlie some much needed off-leash time. He ran with abandon stopping only to take in the scent of some long since gone field mouse. Patty enjoyed watching Charlie explore his surroundings, unfettered by his 6 ft. leather leash. She imagined that in Charlie’s eyes, the woods was absolute nirvana. It was his chance to be dog in the true animal sense and not in the “off the couch, lay on your bed, drink from a bowl” family pet sense. At the moment, Charlie was an animal among kindred spirits.
Patty tried to stay close behind, always keeping Charlie in her field of vision. Charlie had a tendency to go off on a rabbit trail but would always double back at the sound of Patty’s voice. Charlie was granted this freedom because he always returned to Patty when she called. This was precisely the reason that it came as a shock to Patty when Charlie slipped out of her sight and did not respond to her voice. The calls were calm and assured at first and then began to take on the sound of desperation. She could hear Charlie barking in the distance but it was clear that Charlie could not hear her. Or did he care to. She tried to follow the direction of the barks but their echoes bounced off trees and she was afraid of straying too far off the path. She ran back down the trail hoping to find Charlie waiting by the car as she yelled, “Charlie! Go for a ride?!!” That was Patty’s emergency call that never failed to turn Charlie away from the closest squirrel and straight toward the hatchback of her SUV. She stood next to her car, her eyes darting desperately in every direction for her wayward friend.
It was evident that Charlie was no longer anywhere near the trail they had been on so she jumped in her vehicle and drove around the park; her eyes scanning the fields and trails for that unmistakable coat of gold. After an hour had passed, she pulled down one of roads that led to a second series of trails. As she turned a corner, she saw a woman crouched down with a walking stick in one hand and Charlie’s ID tag in the other. She struggled to read it between Charlie’s well-intentioned kisses. Patty immediately pulled to the side. Charlie recognized Patty the minute she stepped from the car, he knew her walk, the scent of her leather boots, and her unmistakable low alto voice. He leapt and danced as Patty approached. She was shocked at how a dog could get so covered in burrs, mud, and horse manure in such a short period of time. The mud and manure came off quite easily but Patty spent hours painstakingly picking out burrs imbedded in all the nooks and crannies of Charlie’s previously spotless, gloriously maned, frame.
Who can blame Charlie? He was only doing what his creator made him to do. Hunt and track and seek out wild game. When temptation came scurrying across the woodland floor disguised as a chipmunk, Charlie bolted. He wasn’t reasoning out the repercussions of straying from his “master”. He wasn’t thinking about the meals she’s provided that he’s never had to retrieve, the warm bed that’s always there waiting for him, her unfailing friendship. No. His mind was set on getting that one thing that he couldn’t have. Sound familiar?
Even with our superior reasoning capabilities, we often find ourselves falling into temptation’s trap. We dart off after the chipmunks of the world. The wants, the shiny things, the “big and better”. We forget Paul’s precious words in Philippians 4:12, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” Whatever situation in life we find ourselves, the devil slithers in and convinces us that we deserve more. Charlie’s act of defiance was driven by instinct but is that so different from how we were made? Weren’t we all born sinners? “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God....” (Rom. 3: 23) Even Adam and Eve were tempted in the forest and strayed. God knows the temptations we face, he lets us off leash to experience all the wonders and joy His creation has to offer. But we so often want more and in His love for us, He lets us go. So we bound off down the trail, our eyes straight ahead, never looking back to heed our Father’s voice. Once obtained, we find once again, what we thought we wanted and needed leaves us empty and unfulfilled. In His mercy and grace, He rescues us. He is faithful. “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” (1 Cor. 10:13) We can never travel so deep into the woods of sin that God cannot give us a way out. Like Patty, he’s seeking us, calling us, following closely behind and is willing, through his love and grace, to painstakingly pick out each burr and tangle that we’ve picked up along the way. When we stop chasing the temptation and return to Him, he will wash us clean, make us new, and shower us with all the blessings we need. No matter where sin and temptation has taken us, our master is always ready to bring us home. “Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back.” (Deut. 30:4)
