Daily Devotional for February 14, 2022

Last year, Shannon and I were picking up a dog we boarded at the vet.  As we walked into the office, there was a young woman with a laundry basket filled with beautiful little Dachshund puppies.
 
Of course, Shannon, being Shannon, immediately fell in love with these little monsters.  As she held one in her arms and kissed its little puppy face, she looked at me and asked if I would like a Dachshund puppy for Father’s Day.  
 
Even though I am a firm believer in rescuing dogs from the animal shelter, I realized the path of least resistance was to say yes.
 
I named her Piper, but, in retrospect, I should have named her Mouth Full of Razor Teeth.
 
I had never owned a Dachshund.  I just assumed, because of her small size and miniscule legs, Piper would be a docile, peaceful pet.  Boy, did I get that one wrong.  I have never seen anything quite like it.  
 
Piper rules the roost.  Even though our other dogs are twice as big, whenever they begin to wrestle, Piper always wins.  In fact, she even tries to wrestle our outside dogs that tower over her.  She’s not intimidated or afraid of anything.  Piper is all-in. 
 
Thinking I may have bought a Honey Badger instead of a Dachshund, I did some research.  That was the moment I understood what kind of little terror I had brought home.
 
Dachshund literally means “Badger dog.”  That’s right.  The cute little sausage dog, I brought to our house, was originally bred to drag much larger, ferocious badgers, out of their dens.  They also hunted rabbit, fox, and in packs, were used to hunt, large, dangerous, wild boars.
 
This got me thinking.
 
I never knew something so intimidating and powerful could come in such a small package.  I had gotten it all wrong.  I got the unexpected.
 
I think the same can be said about God.
 
In securing our salvation, God did not send his Son into this world by way of a royal family.  Jesus was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth and laid in the finest cradle.  Instead, he was born in a drafty barn, and laid in a feeding trough.  God’s Son came into the world in the most humble and unexpected way.  That’s how God does things.
 
When a desperate, lonely Samaritan woman came to the well, in the heat of the day, to avoid ridicule and scorn, she did not expect the meet the One who would save her.  That’s exactly what happened.
 
When Mary and Martha mourned their brother’s sad death, they did not expect the One who brings life and light, to bring him back.  That’s exactly what happened.
 
When Isaiah grieved his all-consuming sins and that fact that he was too dirty to be used by God, he knew he was a lost cause.  He did not expect the One who brings healing and forgiveness to make him clean.  That’s exactly what happened. 
 
When the disciples realize they cannot be saved by works or piety, they begin to panic and ask Jesus who can be saved, Jesus responds, “It’s impossible for human beings.  But all things are possible for God.”  (Matthew 19:26 CEB)
 
When you look at your life and feel as if there is no hope, remember who your God is.  Nothing is impossible for the One who works in unexpected ways and loves you more than life itself.  There is always hope – because there is always God. 
 
Prayer:  Dear Gracious Heavenly God, I know you can do anything – even love me.  Help me put my hand in yours as you lead me through eternity.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.
 
My entire theology of life can be summed up in two undesputable truths.
 
First, God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving.
 
Second, Dachshunds are monsters in sheep’s clothing.
 
That pretty much sums up my entire belief system. 
 
I pray your day is filled with joy and laughter.
Tom Robbins