Wisdom on Faith, Danger, and Caring For Others

The “whoosh” gives it away. Actually, Ezri whining at the door is the first sign. Hot Air Balloon morning Only dogs can detect the shrill whistle of the burner, and she hears it long before the dragon looms overhead. She is terrified. Every day in summer, and on many mornings throughout all four seasons, visitors to Pagosa Springs rise at the crack of dawn and take to the skies.

Kevin and I love it! Who wouldn’t? Colorful characters come drifting over, dipping and lifting and giving visitors to our southern Rockies stunning views of the San Juan Range. At least twice a year, balloonists come from all over the country for festivals that fill our skies. Weekend warriors surprise us on random Saturdays with multiple launches. We keep lawn chairs in the garage so we can pull them into the driveway on a moment’s notice. Cool summer mornings, a cup of coffee, and a sky full of hot-air balloons. What could be better than that?

Even with her meager doggy mind, Ezri can think of a few things.

In fact, I believe she thinks we are probably idiots. She panics, each and every day. We’ve tried everything to calm her. Sadly, we cannot make her understand there is no danger. All we can do is take her fears seriously and pet her. This threat will pass in just a few minutes. We know this is nothing to be concerned about. I wish she understood plain English. All she knows is that there is a fire-breathing dragon just waiting for her moronic humans to step outside and risk incineration.

Whom Do You Trust?

I cannot help but see the parallels between the canine view of the world’s perils and my own. She knows nothing of Donald Trump, COVID-19, climate change, white supremacists, or any impending financial disaster. Her biggest concerns are:

“Are my food and water dish full?”

“Will one of them walk me soon?”

“Are my people okay?”

I once had a church fellow challenge me on comparing animal thought processes to ours, because humans alone are made in the image of God. While the Lord may have made us in His image, we can learn a lot about faith and devotion from our four-legged friends. Being human gives us some distinct advantages, including dubious choices about which of God’s commands to obey. Dogs, on the other hand, know a few good things for certain: chew toys, friendly playmates, food, water, playtime, nap time, and their people.

Hot Air Balloon Fire Ezri’s people are me and Kevin. She depends on us for food and water. She knows one of us will take her outside. In return, she offers unconditional love, unflagging devotion, and if necessary, the willingness to die to protect us should the need arise. She proved that one night when a drunk neighbor tried to walk into our house at 2 AM. We give her our best possible care, and she trusts us, her fallible, idiotic humans, to keep her safe from hot-air balloons.

We Trust Jesus

As humans, we have proof of God’s promise to care for us. When dragons are on the doorstep, we try to have faith that everything is going to be okay.

We trust that our food and water dishes will be full, because Jesus says, “Therefore, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink.”- Matthew 6:25 NIV

Because He said, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age,” we know He will never leave nor forsake us. (Matthew 28:20 NIV)

The promises of God are numerous, gracious, and good. But what about His instructions to us? Here’s where it’s easy to fall short of canine behavior.

Do we really ask, “Are my people okay?”

In my prayers, I ask God to take care of my people. But the reality is, all my people are not okay. Even if my immediate circle of family and friends appear to be fine at the moment, our Savior was quite clear in His instructions. For followers of Jesus Christ, ALL people are our people. ESPECIALLY “the least of these.”

How do I know this?

Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’, and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” (Luke 10:27 NIV) When the expert in the law asked, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus responded with the story of The Good Samaritan.

In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus gives clear instructions on how treat others in The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats . Our Savior used simple stories to illustrate moral or spiritual lessons. None of us have to be rocket scientists to understand how He wants us to treat, and protect, our fellow humans.

I could go on and on, listing dozens of verses on how the Bible says we are to treat aliens and strangers in our land; how we are to treat orphans and widows, the poor, and the least of these. If you have questions, you can ask Google or Siri to find Bible verses with these key words.

The reality is, our people are not okay. We have a Biblical mandate, spread throughout the Scriptures, to take care of all people in our Savior’s name. For folks who profess to be followers of Jesus Christ, this is NOT OPTIONAL. THIS IS MANDATORY. And in these uncertain days, we must pull on our big kid pants and fight Trump’s agenda: to terrorize and vilify refugees; to overturn the Affordable Care Act and snatch health insurance from 23 million Americans; to take from the poor and give tax breaks to the rich; to deny a worldwide pandemic because it interferes with his pep rallies; to withdraw federal money for COVID testing; and to protect white supremacists from justice. The list is endless; this just captures the headlines from today.

The terror Ezri feels over hot air balloons parallels the despair I feel over Trump. But then I remember: I am not distressed in the least over giant nylon bags of hot air. God is not in the least distressed over Donald Trump. While I cannot convince Ezri that the dragons are not going to incinerate us, I can trust God that He’s got the Trump situation in His hands. Before we know it, Donald will be a memory. The dragon will be slain.

The fire will be out.

And sadly, we’ll be on to the next challenge, because this ain’t Heaven. But if my dog doesn’t give up, I won’t either. Every stinkin’ morning at least one dragon will rise in her neighborhood. She’ll always believe her owners are idiots. She’ll panic for a few minutes, each and every day, until the danger has passed. We will take her fears seriously and pet her. We will pray for God’s Kingdom to come, for all people, and for the courage, strength, and wisdom to take action and stand up for what is right.

And we will thank God for it all. Amen.