Grazing Grace

LIFE LESSONS WITH ARCHIE

BY GREG A. LANE

In 2014, my family was blessed with the introduction of a new “family” member … a Boykin Spaniel puppy that we named Archie. The stories I present in this month’s article come directly from my interactions with Archie over the past several years.

YOU’RE JUST GONNA HAVE TO FORGET ABOUT THAT

Archie and I were returning home from our walk one morning and, as usual, Archie was pulling on his leash trying to get out ahead of me. Suddenly, without any warning, he took a detour from the pathway as if being pulled by an unseen force. Actually, it really was an unseen force … he had caught the scent of something in the air and was running in all directions trying to find the source. He was pulling on the leash, jerking me in one direction and then another. I let him have about 30 seconds to investigate but then I said to him, “You’re just gonna have to forget about that” as I yanked him back onto the path and pulled him away from the distraction. Within a minute he had forgotten about the scent, and he was back to leading the way on our journey home.

The words I spoke to Archie were echoing in my ears ... “You’re just gonna have to forget about that.” Sometimes God has to tell you and me the exact same thing. We get distracted on our pathway and get sidetracked by things that are either “none of our business” or are cleverly devised detours that the enemy of our soul has set up to keep us from our destiny. There are times when I’ve seen things on news reports and social media that stirred up anger and frustration within me. Just like Archie, I get distracted from the pathway I’m on, and God has to pull me back to my destiny and purpose with the words “You’re just gonna have to forget about that!”

Not everything we see, smell, feel and experience are healthy for our spiritual and mental well-being. Distractions and detours are everywhere. You can’t

get to the place God wants you to go in life if you’re continually getting pulled away from His pathway for you. It is a wise person who can learn to say to himself, “You’re just gonna have to forget about that!”

KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE MASTER

I walked out the back door of our house with an ice cream bar in my hand one Friday night after supper. Archie was in the backyard, sitting under the shade trees with my wife. When he saw the ice cream, he trotted toward me. Anytime I walk outside with any kind of dessert in my hand I almost always give him just a smidgen of it. But, I told him he wasn’t getting any this time.

He stood there and looked at me, motionless. He didn’t look at the ice cream bar … he looked directly into my eyes. I watched his eyes. I didn’t see them move toward the ice cream bar, not even for a moment. He was completely focused on me. I said to him again, “I can’t give you any tonight, buddy, because this might not be good for you.” My wife said, “It’s non-dairy ice cream, so it won’t bother him.” I looked back at Archie. He was standing still, eyes completely focused on me.

Now, I’ve had other pets in the past that would look at the food I was eating and stare at it, with drool dripping from their mouths, just hoping for a small morsel. But, there was something about the way Archie kept on looking me in the eyes that changed my resolve. I told him, “You know what? I’m going to give you some of this. Not because you want it so much, but because you were focused on me and not on the ice cream.”

As I said those words, it felt just like something God would say to one of His children. As a matter of fact, it sounded a lot like my favorite verse from the Bible – “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). To put it in Archie terms, “Keep your eyes on the Master, first and foremost, and he will give you all the things you want in life.”

Any good thing you and I could possibly want in life can be found in God’s hands. The key is to not focus on His hand. The key is to keep our eyes on the Master’s face.

The first week of April 2022, it seemed like Archie’s health had taken a turn for the worse. He’d had a few health issues through the years because of some genetic problems in his family bloodline. So, when he seemed to be becoming somewhat fragile and frail, my wife and I talked about whether or not it was getting time to have him put down. Just the thought of it was too painful for me to think about. So, I prayed for him, and told him I loved him, and tried to believe for the best. There were a couple of days where he just laid in his bed most of the day, not making a sound. I’m used to him being playful and barking like a wild banshee. To be honest, there have been days when he’s gone on barking sprees where I’ve just had to tell him, “Would you please just shut up!” But, for several days in a row he barely made a sound and was almost motionless. Miraculously, everything changed on Easter. Late in the afternoon, it seemed like Archie had come back to life. How fitting it was that this seemingly miraculous turn in his health happened on Resurrection Sunday! He was running around the house outside and barking up a storm. You know what? I was happy to hear him

Any good thing you and I could bark! It brought a smile to my possibly want in life can be found in face. I didn’t tell him to stop barking one single time. That God’s hands. The key is to not focus once-annoying bark had beon His hand. The key is to keep our come music to my ears. For, eyes on the Master’s face. it was proof that Archie was indeed alive and well! So, now, I try to appreciate my barking dog better. That’s part of who he is, and since I love him, I’m going to appreciate the barking a little more. Several months ago, it was an extreme annoyance. But today it’s the SOUND OF LIFE. Think about the loved ones in your life today. If they’re alive and breathing, there are some very annoying things that they do that almost push you to the edge of your sanity. But, for a moment, think how incredibly sad you’d be if that loved one was gone. You’d long for just one more day of those little annoyances just so you could be with them again. After all, they are the SOUNDS OF LIFE. Show mercy to others today. Overlook petty annoyances. Remind yourself that our time on Earth is limited and each day is a treasure. TURN UP THE VOLUME and let the SOUNDS OF LIFE run their course.