one man and his dog

You’ve heard the story of the dyslexic agnostic insomniac who lay awake at night wondering whether or not there is a dog? Probably!

That’s got nothing to do with the story but a good place to start.

Last year in a moment of impetuous madness for which I’m famed we acquired a dog called Ellie from the RSPCA  (which I think may be an acronym for  “Really Stupid Pets Causing Anarchy”). We’d never owned a dog before and were assured she was just what we were looking for; (someone saw us coming).  Dog owning certainly changes your life so in that respect is very much like becoming a Christian!

Last summer I got an email from a friend suggesting that God wanted to speak to me about the pastoral ministry through my interaction with Ellie. I’ve waited patiently for her to speak to me (well God spoke through a donkey once),  or even for her to scrawl some message with her paw in the dust, but neither has happened so I’m assuming that God may wish to speak to me through the experiences of a dog owner. So here is the wisdom of a pedigree chum(p) which could help you winalot of friends should you ever have to care for others in the Body of Christ, (and lets be honest, shouldn’t we all be doing that?), or it may put you off dog owning for life!!

1. You’ll be responsible to clear up the mess the dog leaves. Don’t leave it for others to tread in please! (and please don’t hang it in plastic bags on trees for all to see.. where did that habit come from which litters our local park in Sheffield?). Mess is to be dealt with discreetly but you may well be left to pick things up you’d rather leave for someone else. The dog will not take responsibility for its own mess but likes sniffing around the stuff other dogs leave behind. Pastoral ministry does require this ability to clear up mess.
2. No matter how well you feed a dog it’ll always be after a tasty morsel from elsewhere and always want more. It could make the dog sick but it’ll just carry on. It’ll never seem to be satisfied with what you offer it and always want more. Dogs are pretty demanding in this respect. As a pastor you face the challenge that however much you give its probably never enough for some.
3.  You can take the dog on a great journey and walk  but if it thinks something is more interesting than you elsewhere it’ll be off to investigate and come back in its own time. (You can tell I’m good at this recall stuff!!). Pastoral ministry challenges your attitude as your level of commitment is often not reciprocated by those you care for, but you’ve got to keep giving..
4. You still love the dog despite all its antics. Its amazing the bond that develops and despite all the demands and frustrations you wouldn’t part with the dog. You love it. I suggest the difference between  a true pastor and a “hireling” is this love that enables you to keep giving and loving when the going is tough.

 

I just want to add that the members of MCF are nothing like Ellie, (none of them have tails for a start!), but here are general parallels with the way we as humans interact with one another. Scripture refers to the Shepherd and the sheep so an analogy from the animal kingdom already appears in scripture. Maybe we can all learn lessons from life as we reflect upon it.

Oh well got to dash, the dog needs a walk….