Politics and My Dog

The assassination attempt on President Trump should give us all pause to think about where we are as individuals, as communities and as a nation. I think if we did not take some time with this opportunity—to reflect and to recommit ourselves to lives which shine light, which contribute, and which create unity—it would be a sad and very costly oversight. 

My thought is that in one year, things will be different, and the question before each of us will be whether we helped or hindered; whether we loved or hated; whether we labeled or listened. With this in mind, I believe we could learn a lot from my dog, Ruger.

My Dog Makes Me a Better Christian

Ruger is an 80-pound German Shepherd with more hair than a 1980s supermodel. He is incredibly well behaved, desirous of doing everything right and tremendously playful. I have learned so much from him about faith and loving God. Four things rise to the top of that long list, which I think might inform our reflections during this time of national sadness.

Walking With God

Many people think of faith as religion. I separate the two very carefully. To me, faith is about loving God. I believe that God loves me, that He sacrificed His Son to restore me to Him, and that the life I live is my heart’s response to His love and my testament to this struggling world. To me, that’s faith.

I believe that religion is something else. When practiced from the perspective of true faith, religion can be a helpful roadmap. Religion can guide us in worship, prayer and community, but it is not faith, nor is it the purpose of faith. Religion is of men, by men, and for men and as such, it can be twisted in ways which actually lead people away from a loving, faithful relationship with God. I bring all of this up because I think about true faith every time I walk Ruger.

Walking With Ruger

For the most part, Ruger doesn’t need a leash. When I call him to heel, he walks along my left side. Though he has no idea where we’re going, he doesn’t even seem to care. He’s just happy to be with me. 

Ruger trusts me and walks along joyfully. He adjusts his pace to mine as necessary, glancing up at me every few seconds to make sure that he’s where he should be, and he smells the roses… and a lot of other stuff. 

Of course, he gets distracted from time to time. Sometimes a bird catches his attention, or a smell, or another dog, but his ears are always tuned to my voice and a soft word quickly returns him to his place by my side. And each time Ruger glances up at me, each time he adjusts his pace to mine and each time he returns himself from a distraction, I can see his love, his devotion and his desire to please me. 

In those moments, I often wonder if God sees the same from me. Do I bask in His presence? Do I adjust my pace to His? Do I return quickly from distractions? Is my walk with Jesus as faithful and loving as Ruger’s walk is with me?

Hardship Helps Us

By my side without a leash, Ruger is happy, and I think the freedom he has causes him to focus on me more joyfully and attentively, rather than pulling against me and a leash. However, I have noticed that when we walk along the main road, he gets very jumpy as cars rush past us. At these times, I put the leash on him, and that seems to make him happier, more certain that I am in control and more relaxed.

I have sometimes wondered, “What is the human equivalent of Ruger’s leash?” When we walk along life’s busy and noisy roads, and when circumstances are scary, what would calm us? What would make us feel most connected to God amidst the turmoil of life, feel more secure when we are troubled, and feel comforted when things seem out of control? The conclusion to which I have come is that hardship is like Ruger’s leash.

In hardship, I am reduced, humbled and more aware of how small I am. At such times, I feel nearest to God, more aware of His unfailing love and more trusting. When the façade of control is removed by difficult circumstances which reach beyond my ability to easily cope, I turn often to God. 

I use a leash to make Ruger feel comfortable, and I believe that God uses and allows hardship to come to us to connect us to him more tangibly and more forcefully. This is yet another way in which Ruger is smarter than I am. He is comforted by his leash. He understands that it connects us. I sometimes resent struggle and hard circumstances.

Yet imagine if we could embrace the circumstances and the struggles which connect us to God and to each other. Imagine if we could be as trusting of God’s good intentions and His plans as my dog is trusting of me. Asking that question takes me to the third way in which Ruger teaches me about faith. He trusts me completely.

Trusting God

Recently, Ruger had elective surgery. We neutered him, had his stomach stapled to avoid it twisting and had a hernia repaired. He was not in any pain when we went in, so it may have been strange to him to go to the animal hospital with the guy he trusts the most in the world, to go to sleep and then to wake up with two very painful incisions. And yet, he looked at me with the same love.

Then, after we came home, he had to spend a lot of time in his crate. He didn’t get any playtime, and he had to take lots of pills. This experience must have been awful for him. But through it all, he remained devoted, trusting, happy and loving.

I’ve thought a lot about this. Do I have the faith to see hardship as a part of God’s loving plan for my life? Do I trust God enough to accept whatever hardship I endure as necessary or at least beneficial beneath His watchful gaze? Do I have the faith in God that my dog has in me? 

The Bible says, in Romans chapter 8 verse 28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” 

Do we believe that? Do we believe God when He says in Jeremiah chapter 29 verse 11, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” 

My dog believes it of me, but do I believe it of God?

Joy in the Love of God

Finally, Ruger is always filled with joy. Without a doubt, he gets his greatest happiness from doing what I ask him to do. Whether I ask him to sit, to lie down, or to go to his crate, he does it all enthusiastically. As much as he likes to be by my side, and knowing he doesn’t necessarily want to go to his crate because he knows we will be separated, still, he gets a greater joy from doing what I tell him to do than from doing what he wants to do. Can you imagine that?

In this age of making up our own rules, of religion which bears no resemblance to the faith described to us in the Bible, of immediate gratification and entitlement, how many of us can say that our greatest joy is to do what the Bible tells us that God wants us to do. Is reading your Bible a joy? Is going to church a joy? Is loving your neighbor as yourself a joy? Shouldn’t it be, even if it’s not what we may want at the moment?

And so the last thing I have learned from my dog about my faith is that God’s love, His faithfulness through the ages, His forgiveness, and His careful attention to my needs should fill me with joy regardless of circumstances. And my heart’s response to His love should be enthusiastic obedience, joy in the opportunity I have in this nation to worship with other believers on Sundays, trust in God whatever my circumstances, and devotion to His will because I know that I am loved by the Creator of the universe.

What If Politics Could Unite Us?

I’ve heard it said that politics is downstream from culture. That seems true. Our culture is a mess and our politics is a mess. But if we travel upstream a little further from culture, we find that culture is downstream of faith. 

Our national culture is as divided as it is because we do not have a common goal or a common rulebook. 70% of Americans identify themselves as Christian, and less than 10% of Christians read the Bible daily. We celebrate sin with those who sin. We don’t go to church, and when we do, it’s often to get a quick check in a box.  

Christians in America are largely ineffective. Truthfully, we have little influence on our schools, our communities, our culture, or our politics. So, what’s happening?

In my humble opinion, we have turned our backs on the unifying influence of faith and the Bible. Those who claim faith have lost themselves, forgetting what it is to be submitted, obedient, trusting, and joyful. 

More than ever, we allow those who are lost, those who have no moral compass, and those who have no ethics but the accumulation of power, money, and things to make our rules and shape our perspectives. The agencies of government have been co-opted by the forces of division because our government has been co-opted by the godless. The news media pours fuel on every spark as though they don’t have to live in the world that they are burning down and we tune in every night, getting angrier and more divided. Our children are struggling, and we don’t attend school board meetings. As the saying goes, “You promote what you permit,” and Christians are permitting all of it. 

I think that this horrific incident in Pennsylvania demonstrates that the godlessness of our culture has manifested itself in our politics, blatantly. And one bullet at a time, good people are getting hurt. As Oliver Perry’s words are so often twisted, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.” 

With this said, the question before each of us is the part that we will play in the coming days, months, and years. Will we ride this horse of division into the ground or will we seek God, glancing up at Him moment by moment, adjusting ourselves if we find ourselves out of step with His guidance, embracing hardship as a chance to draw near to Him and to each other, trusting His plans to “prosper us” as a nation and as communities, and taking joy in our faith by making our lives a living testimony to God’s love?

In the Bible, Micah chapter 6 verse 8 says, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” I pray I can be more like my dog, Ruger. And I pray that as a nation, we can go forward from this tragedy, focused on God’s love of us, on our love of Him and each other, and on being the men and women that we can all be. 

God bless America, God bless you, and semper fi.