Six years ago when we considered renting our present farm property, one of the stipulations was looking after the farm dogs. We took that task on (a bit begrudgingly, I must admit) and watered them, fed them, played ball with Merlin (even trying to train him to return it!) and put them to bed at night in their specially constructed doghouse. We were given some boundaries: they were NOT allowed in the garage, covered veranda or house. We abided by those ‘laws’; but after Merlin died (he was very old) and we got new owners, we found ourselves reneging on the garage bit. Gidget now comes in quite freely with no fear at all…even sneaking her way into the house on a couple occasions, much to our horror.
Though she is still a farm dog, barking away wild animals (bears, coyotes, etc.), guarding our boundaries, meandering the property’s two creeks, she has become ‘a member of our family’. So we bought a brush to smooth out the tangles of her white/black coat, made a make-shift shelter on our back deck when the rains poured down this year and started buying ‘doggie treats’ (much to Robin’s reluctance!) And it is these ‘treats’ that is the subject of this blog.
Our morning ritual (always in the garage and often before we’ve even had our breakfast) is to brush her down, rub her belly, hold a conversation (though a monologue) and finish off with a dog biscuit. Some days, she snatches it out of our hands and heads for our lawn where she settles down to enjoy a leisurely gnaw; but of late, we’ve noticed that frequently she will wander our garden with the bone in her mouth until she finds the perfect spot…to bury it! It happened again today. When it did, I thought of the parable of the talents…the servant with the one talent also buried his ‘treat’ (Matthew 25:14-30).
There have been times in my journey of faith I have felt like that servant…burying what i considered my ‘measly’ talent. The burying came out of feeling insignificant (because I compared myself with others) and faithlessness (because God wasn’t bringing me to the significance I thought commiserate with my dedicated efforts!).
Over the years, the Lord has faithfully ministered in those two areas. He has taught me that He gifts according to the capacity with which He has created me, and true significance lies in being faithful to Him in the giftedness. Romans 12:3-8.
In these later years of our lives, Robin and I are experiencing a fullness in ministry we’ve never had before. Somewhere in our journey, we ‘settled down’ to how He’s created us, and that freed us to find the uniqueness of our gifts that are so well-suited to the doors He opens for us.
Which brings me back to bones being buried. Yep, Gidget still buries her bones but I don’t. I am learning to step with faith into those God-appointed opportunities that seem beyond my gifting…because I’ve experienced that God does “above and beyond” my giftedness to make Himself great. To me and everyone else who strives to be a faithful servant.
Marcia
