Risk Your Heart

I didn’t let my children have a dog(s) when they were growing up at home. I had many reasons why they couldn’t have a dog; some who know me would say a “never-ending” list of reasons “why you should to never own a dog”

So, after each of my children moved out and bought a house, they got a dog that they consider to be part of the family. In fact several of my children have referred to them as the “grand-puppies” and wondered why they are not included in the photographs of the ‘other’ grandchildren.

Some of the reasons that I told my children why you should to never own a dog (in no particular order):

·        They make a mess, messes, and are messy.

·        They chew on things.

·        They leave droppings on the grass –I had watched my neighbor clean up after his children’s dog and I didn’t want to end up with that chore!

·        They bark and make noise.

·        They smell and leave hair everywhere.

·        You have to give them a bath; only to have them go out and get dirty again!

·        They bite! They can be vicious!

·        You need to get someone to take them outside for walks and “to do their duty” when you go away on vacation (Cats, on the other hand, require no work to maintain and are actually quite happy that you are going away!)

And the list goes on…and on…and on…

Including the real reason that I didn’t want my children to own a dog is because dogs die; and I didn’t want my children to feel the loss of one so dear to them. I didn’t want to them to experience the pain and sting of death. And, two of my children ended up having their dogs die (two different dogs died). And it affected not only them but me as well and this is what I wanted to avoid, and the pain surrounding their loss. 

But, what I was really telling them was ‘don’t risk your heart’ because it can be hurt or wounded or even broken. And that was wrong because it is ONLY when we risk our heart that we really live.

This is the day and the hour when we need to take risks and love those who may not love us back, or may even hurt us back. Jesus said that “the love of many will grow cold.” (See Matthew chapter 24).

Make a decision to be one who will take risks with your heart today and love. How do you do this? By reaching up to the Only One who can help you love; Jesus Christ. He longs to help you to take a risk with your heart; after all, it was He who took a great risk with His heart when He reached out to us FIRST.

“In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (1 John 4:9-11)

Call out to Him; won’t you? ...the world needs risks takers like you and me today.

"Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."