My neighbor's dog can be pretty frightening creature. It is part pit bull, part hell on earth, and while it is normally tethered to a tree in the front yard its leash allows it to patrol right up to the corner of the yard I haven't personally witnessed its semi-attacks on people walking by nor did I see my other neighbor hit it with a bat as it tried to jump on her son, but this dog has a bit of a reputation. While I actually feel a little sorry for the dog because it stays tied up in the yard 24/7, I am grateful that it is not allowed to run free to reek havoc over the 'hood.
Today, however, it was not restrained. This morning I woke a little bit early to go on a jog and, as my path would take me, the little house on the corner sat at the last turn before the homestretch. My imagination instantly kicked into overdrive regarding this dog. Was he chained up this morning or maybe inside the house? I had to make sure that I ran on the opposite side of the road so that I could elude the reach of it's chain. That's when I noticed an older married couple taking their morning walk in front of me. Did they know about the dog? They do now.
Right as I pulled even with this other couple the dog from hell came out of nowhere - untethered - as if he had been shot from a cannon. He made a beeline straight for us and was nothing but a mass of snarling, quivering, angry-looking canine. I stopped in my tracks, trying to make no sudden moves. The older couple were terrified, with the woman looking at me and asking me for help as the dog turned his attention to her and began to jump up on her. He wasn't biting her, yet we had no idea what this dog would do. After all, he had a pretty nasty reputation.
This scenario played out for what seemed like minutes but was surely only a few seconds. Where was the owner of the dog? Didn't he know that his dog should be tethered to avoid moments like these? The dog's owner had wisely posted a "Beware of the Dog" sign in the yard but we were now in neural territory. I really didn't feel like getting bit by a crazy dog this morning.
The owner did show up and none too soon. He did his best to subdue the dog and as he did so I continued my run hoping to get in a good last minute kick. But before I could even hit my stride I felt something bumping against my leg, causing me to stop in my tracks. Yes, it was the dog again. I stopped suddenly and waited for the owner to come secure him one more time and then made my way quickly back to my house before the scenario had a chance to repeat itself again.
You may be wondering what I said to the dog's owner through all of this or how quickly I called Animal Control when I got home. I thought about letting the young man who owned the dog know exactly how I felt, but I was pretty sure he could see that written on my face. There probably wasn't anything that I could have told him about his dog that someone in our neighborhood had not already communicated to him. Truth be told, this dog is probably starved for attention more than anything and had he actually tried to bite me that would have been a different story. Yet there was a whole other reason why I didn't say anything to the dog's owner nor did I choose to call Animal Control.
Grace.
The little corner house where this dog belongs has been a curious place to observe this past year. It's hard to tell just who actually lives there and many rumors swirl around what exactly goes down in that place during the night. For the last several months I have seen two young people there on a regular basis, the young man who owns the dog and a high school age girl who I have heard is his girlfriend. The two of them are outside a lot, just sitting there talking or hanging out in the yard. My wife and I have waved many times, but they don't wave back. When they walk past our house my wife will try to engage them in light conversation but they don't seem all that talkative. In fact the young man said nothing to me or the other couple today as he tried to pull his dog away. It's a strange situation indeed but it is one that needs grace.
You see, if I called law enforcement on this young man and his dog (which I am pretty sure is what he expects) then I know that any avenue to communicate the grace of God through Jesus Christ would be cut off. Sure, if I had been attacked it would be a different story, but this dog has a more menacing bark than bite. I ha e no doubt that this dog will be taken care of at some point (and my kids don't get near him so that's not an immediate issue). What I want more than anything is for this young man and girl to see and know the grace that changes everything.
God's grace is what covers our sins and forgives us for our inconsistencies and rebellion. Grace is what sustains us and it daily reminds us of just how beautiful Jesus is. Ephesians 2:8 teaches us that grace is what saves us and further down in 2:13 we are reminded that, "Now in Christ Jesus you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah." Grace brings those who are far away from God back to Him. Grace changes everything. I am more eager to see God's grace transform my neighborhood than I am to see a pesky dog confiscated by animal control.
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