guard dog

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This dog is a fierce opponent of mine. For over a year I have avoided the last leg of my two-mile walk because of his ferocious bark. I have a fear of dogs from childhood that is pretty irrational, but I am able to reason myself out of running scared, sometimes. Instead of walking to the end of his block, I would just retrace the distance over an area that was dog-free. It felt silly, but it kept me safe.


Then one day there were two walkers ahead of me that managed to get to the end of the block with no sign of attack. I could hear the dog barking, but he didn’t approach, so I assumed there was an electric fence. Oh the joy I felt at this discovery! I began to shed my fear and walk freely to the end of the trail. 


I was so happy about my newfound freedom that I decided to write about it. So one day, I stopped on the sidewalk in front of the dog’s house to take a photo of him. Before I knew it he was charging at me, barking viciously. He got closer and closer and I walked quickly down the street, laughing about how ironic the situation was.


When I turned to head back home, I noticed that he was out of his yard sniffing the ground where I had stood to take the picture. There was definitely not an electric fence holding him in the yard. He is a guard dog and he knows and respects his boundaries until he senses danger. Then all bets are off. 


When I finally got the green light to walk into the danger zone, here came a sharp reminder to always be alert. There’s no guarantee of an invisible barrier to keep me safe.


“If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.””

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭4:7‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

https://www.bible.com/bible/100/gen.4.7.nasb1995

Comments

  1. MaryMarch 30, 2021 at 8:11 AM

    Oh the dogs. I love that you got a photo of this one.

    ReplyDelete

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