Don’t you love how God uses the things in our lives to teach us more about Him? (Romans 1:20)

Ron and I have a new puppy. Molly has been with us for thirteen days now. Ron looked at me like I had two heads when I told him we hadn’t even had her two weeks yet. It feels like it’s been a month . . . at least. She has rapidly inserted herself into our lives and hearts.

It seems like I’m teaching her two things: No and Come. When I realized that, it occurred to me that God starts with each of us that way. “No. Don’t do that.” and “Come to me.” I wonder how much that is still the essence of His communication with me. That is, I need to stop doing whatever it is that I’m doing right now and I need to get closer to God.
As I was thinking about this, I looked at Pepper. He’s ten. There are times when he is definitely helpful. I very much appreciate the warning when someone is here. I appreciate how he dispatches the horse flies which bother me. He has become a very useful servant in many ways. And yet, I find myself telling him, “No, don’t do that” and “Come.” 

Being a puppy, one of Molly’s first lessons is “DO NOT bite.” She bites my shoelaces. She bites Pepper’s tail. She bites the cat as she walks by - although since the cat has long hair, that turned out a whole lot better than I thought it was going to! Molly bites leaves. She bites the fingers which try to pet her. How incredibly apropos Galatians 5:15 is! As Christians, we must be on our guard against “biting” one another!

Another first area of training is house-breaking. Thanks to Phil and Lisa, we have a crate to aid in this process! And again, isn’t it interesting that the Israelites coming out of Egypt had lost so much of what constitutes healthy living that God had to specifically tell them to bury their excrement!! They too had to be potty-trained! (Deuteronomy 23:12-14) This physical behavior was indicative of the unholiness and uncleanness that God exhorted them to eschew . . . which caused me to consider another aspect/analogy of having a puppy in the house.

Molly is a mixture of Australian shepherd and blue heeler. To say that she has strong herding tendencies would be an understatement! She has lots of energy. She’s going to require lots of work - a huge time and emotional investment - as a couple of people felt they had to warn me. Hmm. Again, the similarity to my relationship  with God came to mind. That is, God spends an enormous amount of time on me (and each of us). It is no little thing that God describes Himself as long-suffering and patient. He has to invest a lot of time and energy into disciplining and discipling me.

Another dear friend expressed his dismay that Ron and I would undertake a puppy. Dogs don’t live very long, comparatively. Inviting her into our hearts means we’re setting ourselves up for pain. I think about God so greatly desiring fellowship with us that He was willing to create us with free will, despite knowing what Adam would choose. It’s mind-boggling to think that Jesus was slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). God knew the cost, the enormous cost of adopting sons and daughters into the family of God - and He was willing to pay that price for me and for you.

Which brings us to Molly. Jennifer asked me Friday night, August 8th, if I wanted to get a puppy. I told her no. I have never gone looking for a puppy. If one comes to me, that’s a different matter. Imagine my shock when Sam, out of the blue at Sabbath services a few hours later, asked me if I wanted a puppy!! I asked the breed and saw the photos. Pepper is part blue heeler. And my dog when I was a teen was a blue heeler/Australian shepherd mix. Teddy was an incredibly intelligent dog! I have a soft spot for this mix - and probably wouldn’t be tempted by any other breed, even a lab. So then I called up Mom and asked her opinion, fully expecting her to tell me that I’m too busy to have a puppy right now. That’s not what she said. She said to get a female. O.K. I decided to put out the fleece. If the female was still available, I’d take a puppy. Then Jennifer asked me if I was considering names. I hadn’t been. After all, I didn’t have the puppy yet. I hadn’t seen her behavior. I rejected “Bandit” right away because 1) that’s a boy’s name and 2) everyone calls their Australian shepherd “Bandit.” I was busy working on something when Jennifer had texted me the question, so I went back to work, fully preparing to put off the name until later. Unexpectedly, “Molly” popped into my head. I have no idea why.

So Ron looked it up to see what “Molly” means. It has a couple of possible meanings: “bitter or rebellious.” Oh! That’s not a very nice name to saddle a puppy with!!! Or Molly can mean “beloved.” Oh! Kind of like me - rebellious against God, but He loved me enough to redeem me from my rebellion, to make me His own. Molly seems just about perfect. 

So Ron and I have a new puppy in the house. I can’t wait to see what God shows me next.

A week or so ago was harvest day for corn. It’s a bit tricky to hit just right: when the corncob is filled out and mature, but not so mature that it has slipped over into tough. Mom used to check the corn by pulling back the husk just a little to see 
the state of the kernels. But, my experience is that if I decide to check the corn, the raccoons decide the corn is ready and they demolish the entire patch overnight. So I try to gauge the dryness of the silk and the fullness of the ears from the 
outside. I missed it just a little this year. The corn was just on the verge of being too ripe.

There’s something very thrilling and satisfying about husking corn. You never quite know whether the cob will be completely filled out with rows of tender kernels or if a corn worm will have helped himself to the bounty. This year all of the time and effort of planting and weeding and trying to keep the critters from eating it was definitely rewarded.

But I couldn’t help thinking about how, like judging a book by its cover, it’s almost impossible to know what the corn is actually going to look like before you pull back the husks. And, similarly, it’s almost impossible to know what is going on in a person’s heart. Oh, we get some clues from their actions and their words. But just like the plumpness of the ears gives no indication of whether a corn worm is busily munching away inside the husk, we really don’t have any idea of the state of someone’s relationship with God - not truly.

All we see, from the outside, are hints, which may or may not lead us to an accurate conclusion. While each of us are tasked to be a light and to bring glory to God through our words and deeds, our hearts remain truly exposed only to God (1 Samuel 16:7). Unfortunately, even knowing that doesn’t stop us from looking at others and wondering about the motivation behind their actions. Have you ever caught yourself saying (or thinking), “Why did he do that? I wouldn’t have done it that way. What was he thinking?”

Shucking corn this year left me with five conclusions:

1. Who am I to judge another man’s servant? (Romans 14:4) I need to be very careful of making assumptions about why someone is doing what they’re doing. I might be totally off-base. And in reality, it’s not any of my business; I have more than enough to keep myself occupied with why I’m doing what I’m doing.
   
2. What kind of fruit am I developing - is it full and ready for harvest or full of worms? At the end of the age, will God be pleased with how I have used the time and the talents He’s given me? Matthew 13:47-48 indicates that God doesn’t keep all of the fish! I must be diligent to be found in Him! (2 Peter 3:14)
3. What kind of hints do I express to the world around me? That is, does the outward expression through my words and deeds accurately reflect my inward reality? I don’t want to be good at play-acting; I want to honestly be a trustworthy vessel to be used by Him. (2 Timothy 2:21)
4. The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). I need to prayerfully ask God to help me view myself through His eyes and to realize that He’s still working on my sanctification; I need to renew my zeal to seek Him with all of my heart.
5. God loves me. I’m not an ear of corn which is merely consumed; I have been bought by the precious blood of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 6:20). Many scriptures reflect God’s immense love for means me and all who are in Christ: Psalm 139:14; Romans 8:38-39; Isaiah 43:4; Colossians 3:12; Jeremiah 1:5; John 3:16.

I love harvesting from the garden. I love how God can take an ear of corn and use it to draw me closer to Himself. That’s what makes all of the time and the effort worth it - and I get to eat fresh fruits and vegetables as a bonus.