Once, there was a little house dog named Max, who was happy with his life. Occasionally he would sit in his yard and look to the nearby woods through the slats of his fence and wonder what was out there, but he was content with his comfortable home. Each evening, when his mater returned home from work, Max would run and jump on him, waging his tail. His owner would pet him and scratch under his chin and rub his belly and Max was so happy.
Max’s master had one simple rule: He could play in the house and in the yard, but he could not go outside the fence. He didn’t understand why, but he was a good dog and never disobeyed his master.
One day, Max looked through the fence and saw a stray dog, lean and ugly with tired eyes. Max began barking loudly. The stray dog looked at Max with a smile.
“You have no reason to bark at me,” said the stray smoothly. “We are both dogs. I’m not a threat.”
Max stopped barking and started listening as the stray continued to speak, “So you live here? Are you happy in this house?”
Max became excited coming close to slats and tried to tell how happy he was, but the stray continued.
“But it seems you don’t have freedom?” he said.
“Yes, I do,” Max protested, “I can run anywhere in this house and this yard.”
The stray dog smiled a wicked, pretty smile.
“You are not like me. I am free. Look at those woods. That is my home. There are so many places to go. Would you like to go with me?” the stray dog asked.
Max looked longingly at the woods, but he loved his master and did not want to leave him.
As the days passed, the other stray dog came by every day and tempted Max to go into the woods with him. As Max continued to listen to Scruffy, he became more and more curious, and the house no longer interested him. He stopped greeting his master when he comes back home and was very sad.
His master noticed and continued petting him and loving him, but Max continued to think about the woods. He thought of his life out there. Max started grumbling about the same food, same toys and same house. He wanted to explore and experience something new. The next time when the stray dog came, Max told him that he would go with him. Scruffy was excited and ran off into the woods, laughing.
“That stupid house dog,” Scruffy chuckled to himself. “Now, he’ll know what it’s like to live like I do.”
Max skipped out one day when the fence was open. He quickly learned that there was not enough food or shelter in the woods. He once fell into a ditch filled with dirty water and wished sadly for his master. Stray bullied him into bringing him food, and when they encountered wolves, stray dog ran, leaving Max to defend himself. He barely escaped a bite to the head, the wolf getting his ear instead.
Max cried, missing his master, his wretchedness and thinking of his nice safe home. He wanted to go back but he was so ashamed of his ungratefulness and his dirty, hungry body. He went back to his neighborhood and looked at his house, wishing to be back inside. He finally worked up the courage and climbed through the doggy door when he knew his master would be home.
Max saw him in the living room on the couch and cried for his master’s attention. Max was afraid that Master would be angry and drive him away, but his master was silent on his couch continued to watch his television. Max didn’t know what to do and sat down where he was standing. Then, his master came down to Max to bathe him.
Max started thinking, “I did the same mistake like many humans do even though they know that the Lord said, ‘Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’’’ Matt 11:29, 30.
God warned Cain, saying, “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it. ”
Some young are lost in search of fun and stuck in the darkness. I wish they would not fall in deception of sin and evil.
Master cleaned his hurt ear, then brought him into the living room to lie on the couch with him. Max was so happy and grateful to be home with his loving master.
