Astray
Patti Thor
Scree-eech. The tires squealed as I hit the brakes.
What was that? A garbage bag? A ball of dirty yarn? No, it looked back at me. I had seen eyes glow as the shadowy figure left the beam of my headlight. I put the car in park, got out my cell phone “flashlight” and walked over to the side of the road to get a closer look. For some reason I had no fear of whatever it was. What was that? I thought again.
The light from my flashlight created a blue reflection from the eyes of the creature. The blue dots disappeared. I assumed it turned its head although there were no discernible features. Fur was evident, but the direction of growth was not. Imagine the most neglected animal you’ve ever seen, and then triple it. The fur seemed to be one or two massive hard dreadlocks on something roughly the size of two basketballs side by side. The animal’s matted fur was so encrusted with mud, grass and sticks that it was unrecognizable as a living creature. The poor thing was shrouded in a biological coffin.
I couldn’t discern the front from the back of the animal until I saw some teeth. It moved, scared and snarling, into the brush. It sounded like a dog. I caught the glimmer of a tag and thought, It’s not a stray; it’s someone’s pet!
How did it get separated from its master? I wonder how long the owner has been looking for it. What heartbreak has the owner been going through? What has this poor animal endured?
As saddened as I was by the condition of this frightened animal, it caused me to ponder how I looked before Christ rescued me – caked with sin, marred beyond recognition of my original identity. We were created in the image and likeness of our Heavenly Father. When we chose disobedience, we were separated from our Master. We became so covered and matted by the world that we were unrecognizable as children of our Heavenly Father.
I could imagine the dog’s owner looking, block after block, under every bush. His efforts would be relentless to recover his cherished family member. Upon finding the dog, the owner would immediately welcome it back. The owner would know what the dog looked like before it was lost. The owner knew the dog’s true identity.
Our Divine Papa sent His son, Jesus, to find us in the brush, to woo us out of our fear, to reestablish relationship with us. He too knows our true identity. We were created in His image and likeness. We should look like and function like Him – loving and selfless.
The owner would need to clean the dog for its well-being and to keep the crud out of the family home. Just a trim would not be enough to clean up this dog. The owner would have to get his hands dirty to free his treasured one. Fleas, ticks and mange might have to be eliminated. The encasement would have to be cut and shaved off this prodigal to remove the effects of past mistakes and reveal its true nature. The master longs to have “his precious one” in his arms again and will go through whatever it takes to make this happen.
Jesus actually took on the nature of sin at the cross. It would be similar to the dog’s owner becoming a mangy matted stray, fleas and all, in order to release his prize. Jesus came from Glory to set us free. In the process, he was beaten, shamed and marred beyond recognition even as a human being.
He washes away our ‘dirt’ with the Water (of the Word) and His blood. Once the hideous covering of sin is discarded, we are able to enter boldly into the throne room (part of our family home) and there our true nature is revealed. We are beloved sons and daughters.
This vagabond needs to be emotionally rehabilitated to eradicate its mental identity with its former soiled condition. With time and proper reinforcement, it will realize that it is a family member and it will be able to give and receive love. Its fear of being abandoned and rejected will wane as its self-image is corrected.
Unfortunately, we often still see ourselves as destitute. We growl and snap at others who try to get close. We feel lonely and rejected, but the truth is that Jesus said he would never leave us or forsake us. He took on the nature of sin and died on the cross so that we would be accepted and be able to regain our rightful place with the Father. God loves us, paid for our freedom and desires relationship with us whether we are still shackled or just think we are.
Love is the conversion process for gaining our emotional well-being. As we receive His love and understand His perception of us, then our assurance multiplies. We no longer have to fight for our survival. We can rest in the arms of our Heavenly Father and cuddle with Him, much like the former stray does with his owner. We will never be separated from our Master again.
What was that? A garbage bag? A ball of dirty yarn? No, it looked back at me. I had seen eyes glow as the shadowy figure left the beam of my headlight. I put the car in park, got out my cell phone “flashlight” and walked over to the side of the road to get a closer look. For some reason I had no fear of whatever it was. What was that? I thought again.
The light from my flashlight created a blue reflection from the eyes of the creature. The blue dots disappeared. I assumed it turned its head although there were no discernible features. Fur was evident, but the direction of growth was not. Imagine the most neglected animal you’ve ever seen, and then triple it. The fur seemed to be one or two massive hard dreadlocks on something roughly the size of two basketballs side by side. The animal’s matted fur was so encrusted with mud, grass and sticks that it was unrecognizable as a living creature. The poor thing was shrouded in a biological coffin.
I couldn’t discern the front from the back of the animal until I saw some teeth. It moved, scared and snarling, into the brush. It sounded like a dog. I caught the glimmer of a tag and thought, It’s not a stray; it’s someone’s pet!
How did it get separated from its master? I wonder how long the owner has been looking for it. What heartbreak has the owner been going through? What has this poor animal endured?
As saddened as I was by the condition of this frightened animal, it caused me to ponder how I looked before Christ rescued me – caked with sin, marred beyond recognition of my original identity. We were created in the image and likeness of our Heavenly Father. When we chose disobedience, we were separated from our Master. We became so covered and matted by the world that we were unrecognizable as children of our Heavenly Father.
I could imagine the dog’s owner looking, block after block, under every bush. His efforts would be relentless to recover his cherished family member. Upon finding the dog, the owner would immediately welcome it back. The owner would know what the dog looked like before it was lost. The owner knew the dog’s true identity.
Our Divine Papa sent His son, Jesus, to find us in the brush, to woo us out of our fear, to reestablish relationship with us. He too knows our true identity. We were created in His image and likeness. We should look like and function like Him – loving and selfless.
The owner would need to clean the dog for its well-being and to keep the crud out of the family home. Just a trim would not be enough to clean up this dog. The owner would have to get his hands dirty to free his treasured one. Fleas, ticks and mange might have to be eliminated. The encasement would have to be cut and shaved off this prodigal to remove the effects of past mistakes and reveal its true nature. The master longs to have “his precious one” in his arms again and will go through whatever it takes to make this happen.
Jesus actually took on the nature of sin at the cross. It would be similar to the dog’s owner becoming a mangy matted stray, fleas and all, in order to release his prize. Jesus came from Glory to set us free. In the process, he was beaten, shamed and marred beyond recognition even as a human being.
He washes away our ‘dirt’ with the Water (of the Word) and His blood. Once the hideous covering of sin is discarded, we are able to enter boldly into the throne room (part of our family home) and there our true nature is revealed. We are beloved sons and daughters.
This vagabond needs to be emotionally rehabilitated to eradicate its mental identity with its former soiled condition. With time and proper reinforcement, it will realize that it is a family member and it will be able to give and receive love. Its fear of being abandoned and rejected will wane as its self-image is corrected.
Unfortunately, we often still see ourselves as destitute. We growl and snap at others who try to get close. We feel lonely and rejected, but the truth is that Jesus said he would never leave us or forsake us. He took on the nature of sin and died on the cross so that we would be accepted and be able to regain our rightful place with the Father. God loves us, paid for our freedom and desires relationship with us whether we are still shackled or just think we are.
Love is the conversion process for gaining our emotional well-being. As we receive His love and understand His perception of us, then our assurance multiplies. We no longer have to fight for our survival. We can rest in the arms of our Heavenly Father and cuddle with Him, much like the former stray does with his owner. We will never be separated from our Master again.