Dogs, Boys, and Bible Truth

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Psalm 127:3


Lonny and I took the boys on an outing last weekend. Logan stayed home to study. When we returned, he was still at the dining room table, books piled high. Flash, our greyhound boy, was sleeping at his feet.

"Oh," I said. "Sweet. Flash kept you company. What a peaceful thing."

"Not quite," Logan said. He looked up from his books. "First I found him in the school room chewing on the easel. Then he gnawed the corner off a book."

I bit my lip. Flash can be a handful.

"He went upstairs and nabbed Gabe's sock monkey. Then he went back to the school room to attack the flannel board."

"No," I said. "Tell me he didn't eat the letters." We use our flannel board for phonics. It's a staple in our school day.

"I saved them," he said. "But the vowels were stuck to his feet. You should know I chased him around the house to retrieve lowercase a."

"Thanks," I said.

Hard to believe, this quiet curl of a dog, face resting on my son's feet, can cause such a stir. He's quite different from our first greyhound, Sis. She's gentle. Still. Stretches in the sun like a cat. Her favorite place is in the hall closet. She'd never gnaw a book or swipe a vowel.

These dogs are crazy different.

But we love them just the same.

It's like our sons, really. No two are alike. There are similarities that stretch beyond the physical, but mostly they are as varied as can be. One is most at ease in a quiet spot with a book in hand. One thrives on adventure. One has a natural sense of humor that can brighten any day. Some are athletic. Some enjoy music.Some are quiet in a crowd. Some enjoy the spotlight. Some are easy. Reserved. A couple of others are spirited, and like Flash, keep things lively by stirring the pot.

They are individuals. Crafted differently from the inside out. Not one comes close to being a carbon copy of the other. But these very different boys, with their unique gifts and challenges and shortcomings and abilities, are alike in the most kind of ways...

each is a gift, a treasure, a heritage, a reward.

I know it in  my mother-heart,

and the Bible tells me so.