Young Eyes

"The dog is the most faithful animal , and it might be held in great worth, if it were not so common. Our Lord God has placed the greatest gifts in the most common things. The eyes are the most excellent gift given to all the animals. The small little birds have the most clear eyes, just like asterisks; they see a fly a room away. But we do not recognize this common gift. We are clowns and fools. But we will see that future life; then and there we, like the birds, will have those beautiful, clear eyes ourselves." Martin Luther



I came across this quote the other day and it really had me laughing! How true! Just think, if there were only 1000 dogs in America instead of 53 million, not one of those dogs would be homeless and roaming the streets. If one did get loose and were roaming about, someone would surely stop and pick it up. We would do that because they would be so valuable to us. We would not take them for granted.



Or,what if there was only one dog in all the world? How people would be amazed at all of the great things this creature was capable of. You could tell it to search for a lost child and this creature would enthusiastically search and find that child. Or the sense of security those blessed with having this one dog would feel. A guardian of the night to warn them and protect them from danger in the night. How many millions of people worldwide would wish to have this creature called a "dog".



So, when you are with your dog - take stock in exactly how marvelous he really is! Appreciate their natural, God given abilities. When I was a young child, I embarked on a lengthy campaign to convince my mother that I needed a dog. I spent weeks trying to convince her how emotionally scarred I would be for the rest of my life, if I did not have a dog to grow up with. She could not resist my arguments and finally gave in. To this day I have not loved a dog more or had a closer bond to any dog than that dog - Shotzie. I did not want her for hunting, protecting, tracking or any other particular reason. I just wanted a dog because my young heart and young eyes saw clearly the wonders of "dogs." We had such a strong bond between us because of the value I placed on her.



Being a kid myself once, and being blessed with raising 5 right now, has taught me this: Children naturally look at the world around them with young eyes. They see the wonders of God's creation and get great joy from it. It is as we get older that we take all of that for granted and lose that joy which is all around for us to freely enjoy.

Show me an old person who is genuinely happy, and I'll show you a person who believes in God and still knows how to look at things with young eyes.

So, all you old and young farts out there, try looking at your dog with "young eyes" again. Fully appreciate the great gift from God that they are. Then, don't stop there. Look at your spouse, children and your life with those same young eyes. The smile on your face will do your heart good.