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Whenever Jesus wished to express the Father's great love, He created parables taken from the countryside and its people. Camels, goats, sheep, weather, farmers, widows, landlords- all of these had a place in the stories Jesus used to convey the Father's great love and faithfulness. I believe that Jesus still speaks to us in parables through the everyday people and events that He places around us.
On a recent spring day, I went for a walk with my German shepherd, Amadeus. We had only gone a couple of yards when a squirrel darted out into our path and Amadeus gave chase. The ground was slick with mud and as he sailed down the embankment, he lost his footing and landed in the roaring waters below. He was immediately caught in the strong current and propelled downstream.
I raced to the top of the embankment and clung to a low branch so as not to meet with a similar fate, watching helplessly as my beloved pet sailed away. Amadeus is by nature a very calm dog, having been sent by God to teach me absolute trust in one's master, so he took the whole thing in stride while I feared I might faint from worry. As the waters swiftly carried him away, he slowly looked over his shoulder with eyes that seemed to say, "Don't worry. It's really quite a nice ride". I later found him patiently waiting for me several miles downstream.
As I cradled him in my arms and thanked a loving Father for keeping him from harm, I thought how often the raging tides in my life had threatened to overtake me-my husband's near fatal accident, the cancer from which I was told I would not survive, the death of a beloved granddaughter. Yet, each time, the Father had safely delivered me to shore. I prayed that in times of fear, the Holy Spirit would bring to my remembrance all the times throughout my life that God had kept me safe from life's many storms.
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