Go Left - Pawverbs for a Dog Lover's Heart

The prudent understand where they are going, but fools deceive themselves.

JUSTUS WAS ONLY A FEW months old the first time he saw a squirrel in his backyard climbing down a large oak tree.

The small yellow Lab, whose nose had been pressed to the ground as he explored his new surroundings, was startled by the sound of claws scratching against tree bark. Justus tilted his head, wagged his tail, and then he was off. Driven by both instinct and curiosity, Justus ran as fast as he could.

The squirrel stopped his descent, confident he was safe on the tree trunk several feet from the ground.

Justus barked and pawed the tree.

Desperate to play with this new and interesting friend, he play-bowed numerous times.

The squirrel was unimpressed and chattered noisily as he scampered farther up the trunk.

Confused and dejected, Justus stared at the tree for several minutes before lowering his nose and resuming his sniff patrol.

Day after day, the squirrel descended from its nest and Justus gave chase as it turned and scampered up the tree.

Squirrel quickly became Justus’s favorite word. He would bark frantically at the mere mention of the creature who refused to come down for a proper hello.

As Justus grew from puppy to full-size dog, his interest in squirrels grew from curiosity to an all-out obsession.

And yet, much to his owner Will’s amusement, no matter where in the yard a squirrel was, Justus always, without fail, ran straight to the oak tree in the middle of the backyard.

“Justus, squirrel!” Will would shout, pointing to a squirrel on the fence opposite the oak tree.

Justus would bark and paw at the door. He would see the squirrel to his left, balancing on the top of the fence. But the minute the door opened, Justus would make a hard right and run straight to the oak tree.

One day, hearing a squirrel’s distinct chattering, Justus bounded out the door, took his hard right, and then let out a yelp. He limped to the tree.

No squirrel there.

Forlorn at not nabbing the elusive squirrel, he limped back inside.

Will took his squirrel hunter to the vet, who revealed that Justus’s enthusiastic chase had resulted in a torn ACL.

“Oh, Justus,” Will whispered in his Lab’s ear while he was being prepped for surgery. “Next time go left.”

Justus recovered from surgery and lived many more happy years. But never once did he turn left.

PAWS & PONDER . . .

Has your enthusiasm for something ever caused you to run ahead of God—or miss his leading altogether? Maybe it was a relationship or an opportunity you pursued despite the Holy Spirit prompting you not to. How did that situation turn out? How can you guard yourself from making a mistake when enthusiasm swells in your heart?

Paws & Pray

Lord, so often I think I am going the right way in life, only to discover I’ve made a wrong turn. Help me to walk with you, Father—to go where you lead. Stop me from running ahead of your plans for me.