Re-homed

Every now and again I manage to catch a good show on the tube. I like to watch those wilderness shows, and even the ones with the vets working with animals. I watched one recently in which a family went to one of the most devastated areas of the recent floods and brought back to the Denver area a massive truckload of dogs and cats who needed to be "re-homed" due to the flooding. You would think they would have brought back the healthiest of the dogs and cats, but let me tell you, they were a mess! One needed a leg amputation, a whole litter of puppies needed sulfur baths for weeks to deal with the nasty ringworm that had ravaged their skin, and one of the dogs was completely deaf. The end of the story is that each of these were placed into homes where they could flourish and grow old together - a great end to a pretty awful period in their lives. What society would have otherwise rejected and given up on, the rescuers extended mercy toward, and in the end the ones given mercy became a huge blessing!

O God, you have declared me perfect in your eyes; you have always cared for me in my distress; now hear me as I call again. Have mercy on me. Hear my prayer. (Psalm 4:1 TLB)

It is indeed good for the soul to recognize the Savior isn't looking for the perfect to "re-home", but the wounded, scarred, "un-whole" of this world. Jesus even reminded some of the more "religious" Jewish leaders who criticized those who came to him for help that the "well" don't seek out a doctor - it is the sick who do! The "well" don't recognize their need - the sick do and they desire deliverance! Mercy isn't something sought by those who are self-righteous and "upright" in their own eyes. It is sought by those who recognize how retched their condition really is.

The most awesome part of the show was seeing how each animal served a "purpose" in their "re-homing". The one who lost his hind leg became a vibrant family pet to two children who had a huge backyard, lots and lots of energy to help him stand strong and run hard on the three legs he was left with. The ones with the hugely ugly skin condition, emaciated by the disease of the parasites living on them, they all ended up with no sign of the disease, wholly well and fully nourished - each placed in loving homes able to provide good environments for them to continue to grow into adulthood. 

The deaf dog, although loving as all get out, had no other way to connect with her world than to lay down and offer her belly to the someone to stroke. She craved attention, finding companionship in a home of a deaf owner! The one who understood her the most became the one to guide her into being a very smart dog who actually understood and responded to sign language! There are times we mock someone and say they are like the blind leading the blind. I wonder if God looks at who he "pairs us up with" in life and recognizes the one thing we need most is the help of one who knows what we are living with and has gone through it themselves?

The mercy of God doesn't just reach out, it also "re-homes" us into a place where we can heal, grow, and become strong in our walk. Just sayin!