Do you ever look at the world around you and feel like something is just not right? Like maybe things get kind of mixed up, and our priorities as a whole become shifted. I’m reminded of Alice’s looking glass, and often times I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw a cat wearing a dress, sipping tea at her very own birthday party. In fact, that sounds pretty normal.
What I mean is this. It used to be pretty common place to help a neighbor in need. If you saw someone stranded on the side of the road you didn’t wage an inner battle with self over if they were an ax murderer or pedophile. You simply stopped. I’m only thirty-seven, but I’m old enough to remember the “good ole days.” Days when helping your fellow man was not only commonplace, but it was encouraged.
Things change, though, I guess. For example, to say someone “was treated like a dog” used to be a terrible description. It was an insult, for whoever was getting treated like a dog was really getting the short end of the stick. They were being treated less than human, and so despicably that it could only be described in comparison to the way an old, pitiful mutt got handled.
Somewhere along the way this has changed. I can’t pinpoint the exact when, and although I still hear this phrase occasionally, to me it just doesn’t carry the meaning it once did. I mean getting treated like a dog sounds pretty awesome in my opinion.
Personally, I’m a dog lover. I might be so bold to admit that I love cats more, but currently our family actually has a canine companion, and we love her. She’s a part of the family. I guess you could say I’ve always had a soft spot for animals. I got that from my Momma, and I grew up trying to fix every sick or injured critter I laid eyes upon. I wanted to be a veterinarian when I grew up, and I’ve definitely bottle fed and raised more wild animal babies than I have human ones.
My love for the creatures of the animal kingdom made it no surprise when I stepped out recently to help a doggie in need. I was recently at my mother-in-law’s house when a stray dog came around. He was so cute and very friendly. He just whined and cried to come inside, and I could tell by his behavior he wasn’t used to staying out in the cold. He was someone’s fur baby, and I felt like surely there was something I could do to help him get home.
We live in an era of technology, and what better way to help find a lost dog than the internet. I quickly snapped a photo, and I asked my friends on my Facebook newsfeed to help me find this doggie’s owner. I simply said, “please share.”
I had made the post public, and within a matter of minutes the picture had its first share. After an hour I was mildly surprised by how many shares the photo had received, and strangers were reaching out to me via private message to help this dog get home. Not surprisingly, before the night was up the owner had been located thanks to the rampant spread via social media. But it didn’t stop there.
Over the next twenty four hours the photo continued to be shared. I tried changing the settings of the post to friends only, but still a multitude of people I did not know were sharing my post to help a dog get home that was already there. It was stunning actually.
The outpouring of concern for this little, lost pooch was heartwarming in a sense, but I couldn’t help but also be sad. You see, almost daily I see people crying out for help. I see people needing money for medical expenses, maybe a new wheelchair, or even just a little prayer. I watch these human beings beseech their fellow man for some small bit of assistance, but for the most part they are ignored. And I realize I am just as guilty as the next.
I thought of a GoFundMe account I saw recently. It was for a poor puppy I’m sure we’re all familiar with. I think his name was Chip. He had been abused terribly, the poor little fella, but even as my bleeding heart dripped for him I was honestly stunned by how quickly he reached his monetary goal. It had to be a record. I’ve seen pages of poor, human babies begging for help with cancer treatments not covered by insurance never receive the type of fanfare and financial support this dog received. I’m certain as the parents of a little dead girl buried their daughter they only wished she could have been treated like a dog.
That sounds a bit melodramatic, I know, but in essence it’s true. And I get it, I do. Dogs are loyal. Dogs are trustworthy. They ask nothing from you but love, and they cannot speak for or take up for themselves. And it is for these reasons that we as humans crusade for their rights. The poor, defenseless animals who cannot speak for themselves. The pitiful, abused pets who only want to be loved.
When I look at the news I see a lot of stories about poor children beaten and murdered, and I know that all they ever wanted was love. I see the statistics for too many babies murdered in the womb, and all they wanted was to live. I see my human brothers and sisters on social media asking to “please share,” and all they may want are our prayers.
It’s easy to ignore the plight of another person.
They asked for it!
It’s their own fault their life is like this!
They’ll probably just use the money for drugs!
And because of our belief that we have the right to judge who is worthy of our assistance we often just decide to withhold it. It’s easier to give a donation to the local animal shelter. At least there you know it won’t go towards a bottle of bourbon.
As you imagine your good deed giving a sweet puppy a warm blanket, or hopefully a nice, forever home, you feel like you’ve done your part. You’ve done a very good thing, and you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Yet a homeless man still sleeps out in the cold. An elderly widow has no working heat in her home. A mother of three, abused by her alcoholic husband, is just hoping someone can give her a place to stay until she gets on her feet. A young woman stands on the side of the road, without a phone, unsure how to get her tire changed. It can be something that simple, but we would rather pick up a stray dog than a stray girl.
I wonder when this happened. When did we stop helping our neighbor, and instead focus our efforts on other things? When did being treated like a dog become a good thing?
I think God smiles when we treasure His creation, when we treat His creatures kindly, but I wonder how He feels that we detest our brother, or at least that our actions make it appear like we do. Does He weep?
Would I post another picture in the future to help a puppy get home? You betcha. But I would hope that if I shared a post asking for prayers for a sick child, or perhaps even financial assistance, that it would receive as much support as my Beagle friend got. I pray so.
God, things are all mixed up sometimes it seems, and we get our priorities kind of shifted. We seek to protect ourselves, our hearts and our resources, and we forget your second, greatest commandment.
Matthew 22:37-40
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Forgive us Lord. Help us to get it straight.