The
Stray Dog
On a
rainy day
In a
town like yours
Not
so long ago
Was
a young boy named Nathan
Nathan was not the most popular boy
He
was not the best at sports
He
was not the smartest in school
He
was not the most handsome
He
had a nice home
He
had a nice family
He
had some nice friends
But
why did he feel lonely?
On
this rainy day
Nathan was out in front of his house
Over
by the garage
Digging in the garbage
Was
a dog
This
dog was very dirty
He
looked very tired and hungry
He
was not very good looking
In
fact, he was rather scruffy looking and unkept
There was nothing attractive about the dog
But
his eyes, full of sadness
Full
of burdens, had deep love in them
From
the moment their eyes met
It
seemed the dog was saying, I love you
As
he wagged his tail and walked excitedly around Nathan
Nathan knelt down and petted the dog
He
was dirty and smelly
But
the joy on his face
Made
Nathan not mind
Nathan went and got a bucket of water
For
the dog
The
dog was very thirsty
When
Nathan saw how he was able to help the dog
He
went in the house to look for some food
Now
Nathan had never had a dog before
He
got some cheese and salami from the refrigerator
When
he came out
The
dog was waiting patiently at the door
The
dog was very hungry and ate all the food quickly
The
dog was thankful for Nathan’s grace
The
dog walked over to Nathan and was wagging his tail
The
dog started licking Nathan anywhere his tongue would reach
Now
Nathan knew his family
And
he knew his family wasn’t especially fond of dogs
As
Nathan sat there on the steps
Petting the dog, feeling very comforted by the dog
He
began to feel sad; knowing his family would not want the dog
After all, he wasn’t very handsome; he was skinny and dirty
Nathan decided to make a place for the dog in the garage
For
the garage was seldom used except for storage
He
made the dog a little bed
And
he got some old bowls for food and water
He
went in the house to count his money
He
put the dog in the garage
And
said, “stay here boy, I will be back”.
Nathan walked a few blocks to the corner store
He
went in and bought a small bag of dog food with his $4.50
Nathan went back home, excited about giving the dog some food
With
his own money!
The
dog ate very fast again
After the dog ate, he licked Nathan and then curled up next to Nathan
And
fell asleep
Nathan sat there stroking the dog’s head
Poor
dog he thought
I
will take care of you
During the next few days
Nathan’s secret remained
Everyday after school the dog would be waiting faithfully
For
Nathan to get home
And
every day the dog was so happy to see him
The
love the dog showed to Nathan made him feel very good
One
morning, Nathan went out to see the dog before school as usual
It
had rained again the night before
The
ground was wet and muddy
As
Nathan approached the dog,
The
dog jumped up on Nathan with excitement
Nathan looked at his school pants and saw 2 muddy dog prints on his pants
“Oh
no!” said Nathan, “Mom is gonna kill me”.
“You
stupid dog, why did you do that”
The
dog sat there with sad eyes and his tail between his legs
He
had not meant to make Nathan angry or soil his pants
As
Nathan stood there looking at the dog, he became very sorry
“I
am sorry boy, I should not have yelled at you and
You
are not stupid, come here boy, I am so sorry”.
The
dogged wagged his tail on his way over and started licking Nathan
The
dog immediately forgave and forgot
On
his way to school, one of his friends asked
“What happened to your pants?”
“My
dog jumped on me” he said, not even thinking about his secret
“Your dog! You don’t have a dog,” exclaimed his friend
“Yes
I do, “ said Nathan, “you come see after school”
Said
Nathan, not wanting his friend to think he was lying
On
the way home from school
Nathan exclaimed to his friends how special his dog was
For
to Nathan, this dog was very special
Very
loving, very loyal.
As
Nathan and his friends approached his house
The
dog ran out from the garage and ran toward Nathan
The
dog was very excited and went to lick anyone who would let him
Some
of Nathan’s friends immediately fell in love with the dog
Some
thought the dog was a waste of time and paid
It
no mind and left
Some
were angry with Nathan because they were expecting a very special looking
dog, that could do great tricks, and they left
And
some stayed not sure what to think of Nathan’s dog.
As
days passed, Nathan and his friends would spend all their free time with the
dog
They
would laugh and play with the dog in the yard
They
would lay on the ground and let the dog run from one to the other
Trying to kiss each child
Nathan’s friends even pitched in their money to buy more dog food
Well, one-day Nathan’s mom came home early
And
as she went in the house
She
heard many voices and commotion out back
“Nathan, what is going on?” shouted his mother
“Oh
man, snagged!” thought Nathan.
Well, the secret had gone on long enough
And
Nathan told his mother the whole truth about the dog
Nathan’s friends left
He
and his mother sat on the steps with the dog
“We
can not have a dog,” said mother
“Why?” asked Nathan
Well, just look at him said mother
Who
would want a dog like that?
Nathan was hurt
Mother, you don’t even know him!
He
is sweet, he loves me, and he waits for me everyday!
The
dog approached mother and sat at her feet
Waiting to be invited up the steps
Mother looked in the dogs eyes and reached her hand out
The
dog wagged his tail and put his face on mother’s lap
Well, he certainly is sweet isn’t he? Said mother
“Yes
mother, you have no idea! Said Nathan
Well, father definitely wouldn’t approve said mother
Mom,
would you talk to him please I really love him a lot said Nathan
I
see you do Nathan, I am starting to love him too
I
will see what I can do, in the mean time,
Keep
him out here in the garage-said mother
Yes
mom, thanks, thanks for everything
Mother saw how happy the dog made Nathan
And
how all the children were having so much fun with him
He
really was a special dog in his own way
But
what about father!
Mother helped Nathan give the dog a bath
They
brushed him and dried him off.
He
still didn’t look handsome, but he was sure clean
Mother and Nathan waited for father
As
they saw the headlights turn into the dark driveway
They
both got a little nervous.
Father came in and put his briefcase down and plopped in his chair
Mother told him dinner would be ready soon
She
made his favorite, pot roast and potatoes
There was no discussion of the dog during dinner
After dinner, mother asked father “ how was your dinner?”
“Great!” Replied father, “it was really great, thank you.”
“Dear” said mother to father
“Yes
“ said father
What
would think of us getting a dog?
“What!” Are you crazy? I don’t want a dog!
They
are a pest! They are dirty! What good are they?
Mother and Nathan were both a little nervous.
Father seemed so angry at the idea, what would he do if he knew
“Why
do you ask?” said father after he had calmed down
“Because Nathan and I have found the most perfect dog,” said mother
“You
what!” said father
“Oh
please Dad” said Nathan, just come and look at him
“Look at him! Is he here? Said father
“Just come outside,” said mother
“He
really is a special dog,” said mother
“You
two have to be kidding me,” said father
Father sat there looking at his wife and son
He
saw the pain on their face
“Okay, okay” said father, “lets go look at this special dog”
As
they all went out to the garage
The
dog came running to Nathan and his mother
Father looked on as he saw the jubilant faces of his family
He
looked at the dog and wondered what they saw in him
The
dog came by father and sat patiently at his feet
Waiting to be called by him
With
much hesitation, father called the dog
As
the dog started wagging his tail and being excited around father
Mother and Nathan looked on with joy
For
once father had called him, they could see that even father could not resist
the love of the dog.
“Well” said father “ if we are going to keep him, what’s his name?”
“Lucky” blurted out Nathan
“Lucky, hmm” said father
“Yes, not that he is lucky, but that we are lucky to have him” said Nathan
Mother and father both agreed
And
Lucky and his new family lived very happily together
The
end
Dear
reader,
As
you have just finished this story. Let me tell you of someone who is very
special in my life.
His
name is Jesus
As
Lucky, he ministered with nothing to offer but his love
As
Lucky, he waits patiently for our fellowship with Him in prayer
As
Lucky, he forgives and forgets immediately
As
Lucky he is ever faithful, He will never leave us and is always there
As
Lucky he pours out His love to all who will receive
But
Lucky was just a story, and Jesus is real
And he
waits now for all mankind to invite Him into their hearts
You
will never know His Great love if you never invite Him into your heart
Please
do not misunderstand, there is no comparison with the love from a dog or
man, that can even compare to the infinite love of Jesus
There
are many parables in this story that you might reflect on the life of Jesus
May you
be greatly blessed with this story.
Matthew
Abrahams
