I remember as a fifth grader crying over Mitsy when she died.  Mitsy was a three-legged black cocker spaniel who was my play-mate and rabbit hunting companion.  I was a child then, but I have come to know men who have also wept over their dead or dying dogs. 

I can remember sitting in the snow as a grown man, weeping beside Lady’s doghouse, with my hand on her still warm but dying body.  Lady was our family dog.  She was also my dog.  She was an extremely intelligent, beautiful, black Labrador who was devoted to me.  I picked her from the litter of pups and it seemed as if she never forgot that.  When she died, it broke my heart.

I weep easily, but I think most men don’t.  I have often said that when God squeezes my heart, tears come out of my eyes.  Every good gift comes down from above, including the faithful companion that a dog can be.

In our culture, seeing a weeping man may be startling or even embarrassing to many.  So, why do grown men cry over their dying dogs when nothing else on earth seems to move them?  Why will a stoic, unemotional, unmovable man allow the death of his dog to make him so vulnerable?

I think it is the unconditional love, faithfulness and loyalty that a man finds in this four-legged creature known as man’s best friend.  Everyone craves this kind of love, but very few find it.  When a man discovers unconditional love in his temporary relationship with his dog, a man’s heart tends to break when it ends.

Someone reading this right now is probably asking; Surely the writer is not going to compare God’s love to a dog’s love!?  No, there is no comparison.  God’s love is unfathomable, and it is permanent for those who trust Christ as their only hope of salvation.

We might however, consider comparing our love for God to a dog’s love for his master.  Makes us look bad, doesn’t it?

 If ye love me, keep my commandments.  John 14:15

…let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…