Lent 2022, Day 36

 


Today’s BiOY NT passage is Luke 11, in which Jesus famously says,

¹⁰ “For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

 This is another of those aspirational, sometimes even problematic passages. Because sometimes (often? usually?) the asker does not receive, at least not literally. I imagine that many of the murdered people in Ukraine cried out to God—or the West, or anyone—to save them, and look what happened. In a figurative or spiritual sense, I would argue that people who diligently seek God will find him (and the context of this passage is primarily about spiritual seeking), but speaking of spiritual rescue in the moment of physical peril or even simply need, is not necessarily helpful. It’s a mystery to ponder in times of safety, perhaps, to have one’s mindset pre-determined in preparation for unsafe times.

 Libby and I had a really, really hard day yesterday. We had a session with a new trainer, and it did not go well. No one got hurt, but I had the opportunity to see my beloved Libby go full police-dog on someone, saw her get between me and this trainer, saw her go insane with angry fear, even saw her try to bite at me. It was intense and horrifying, and for the first time in months, I found myself considering whether Libby can live safely. Whether she can live. After all of the love and promises and hard work, maybe the ongoing prayer to save her won’t be answered. At least not the way I’d like it to be answered. Of course it’s true that she was saved already and has had a couple of good years where she has been loved so hard. That all is true. But maybe love will not be enough in the end … The simple and practical truth is that, for all my lighthearted words about “bitey-ness,” Libby cannot be allowed to bite a person. Ever.

 So we lost some major ground. But we gained some too: I realized that it’s absolutely necessary for me to be fully in charge and not just a nurturer or playmate. So we’re making some changes that no one likes, but this is serious and urgent. And I am continuing to ask for Libby’s life and freedom and joy and innocence to be saved and restored to her. And to me.

#lent2022 #rescuedogsofinstagram #bibleinoneyear #repentandbelieve

 

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