In the last year of our dog’s life, he had become both deaf and blind. But oh did he still love to take a walk with you, sniffing, smelling and checking out whatever his nose led him to. Many were the times as I walked in the quiet of the morning, he was right there besides me.

One day however, as I walked and the road curved, I went to the left and he was busy checking out a ‘smell,’ and I failed to notice that he was NOT following me. When I did notice, I started to call him but realized that he could not hear my voice, nor could he see me anymore. So, I backtracked and went again to where I last saw him. When I found him, and touched him, oh did he ever go so excited, wiggling, wagging, and paws up on me to say—“oh thank you, for coming back!! I was lost, but you found me!!!” As I petted him, I said out loud, “Oh you are so happy to be with me, walking with me aren’t you, Jake?” Immediately in my heart, the words come—“Just as I AM so happy when you come to be with Me and walk with Me.”

I smiled, sensing that wondrous peace and love of God surrounding me –and thanked God for His special hug, as He used a deaf and blind dog to touch me in such a God co-incidental way. Let us pray that our hearts are never so hard, that our eyes are blind and our ears do not ear, and we fail to be in the Presence of God. Hmm, did you ever notice God spelled backwards is dog? On a donkey, or in the love of a dog, Jesus comes!!

When you read this story about Jake, see if you can find the hidden parable hiding behind this walk with Jake.