Loyalty - Or, On Rubbing a Dog's Belly

I love labs. Win and I have owned four of them during the past two decades of our marriage. There were two periods when we owned three at a time (one black, one yellow, one chocolate). Win used to say (and still does say), "I’m glad they don’t come in any other colors.” For sure, because I would definitely need to have one if they did!

My first lab was a black lab that was a stray I found in the desert. He didn’t want to climb into my truck that day we met, but when I took off in my old Ford-F250, he began running after me - hence the name, “Shadow.” We had no idea how old he was when we found him. (The vet guessed he was about two). After we had him for about five years, the hair on his chin began turning white - just like his master’s! (See the picture on the left sidebar of my blog).

Win and the boys knew that Shadow really was dad’s dog. He was my constant companion. He was mischievous, fun loving – and loyal. That was the quality I loved the most. When I came home from work each day Shadow would meet me at the front door with his tail wagging, as though he was trying to say, “Welcome home, master! I am so glad to see you again!” Then he would turn and run into our bedroom, jump up onto our king-size bed, and lay down on the corner, with a look in his eyes that said, “Okay, tell me about your day. And, get those hands going NOW! Stroke me, please.” Sometimes he would roll over onto his back and give me a look that said, “Okay, now rub my belly, please.” But was he ever loyal. I started referring to him as “Old Faithful.”

Unfortunately, some people are anything but loyal. I think one of the hardest things for anyone to have to cope with is the bitter sting of betrayal. By God’s grace I had been sheltered from betrayal for most of my adult life, until I reached my early-fifties. That was when I was first broad-sided by betrayal. (It was not spousal betrayal – I don’t think that in spite of my experience[s] the past few years I still can even imagine what that would feel like). I was devastated. The heartache and accompanying stress it caused resulted in a massive and extensive heart attack that nearly turned Win into a widow. (My cardiologist said that I probably only had about five minutes to live when Win rushed me to the emergency room – a victim of a clogged left coronary artery sometimes dubbed “the widow-maker”).

Anyone who has been betrayed needs to know that they stand in good company. For example, just try to imagine the grief that King David felt as he wrote these words, “My most trusted friend has turned against me, though he ate at my table” (Psalm 41:9 CEV). The Old Testament patriarch, Joseph, was betrayed by his own brothers, and then by the wife of his boss (Genesis 37, 39). But the epitome of betrayal was when Judas turned against Jesus, and when the Jews screamed for the brutal execution by crucifixion of One of their very own, Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God (Mark 9:31). Finally, in the latter days of his ministry, the great Apostle Paul lamented, “At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me” (2 Timothy 4:16 ESV).

So, what have I learned during the past five-plus years about betrayal – besides the fact that I am standing in good company? Here is a brief list of some important lessons:

1. I have learned what the Apostle Paul was getting at when he wrote in Philippians 3:10, “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”

2. I appreciate more than ever my Lord’s unfailing love. Again, here is how the Apostle Paul explains it: “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). I have summarized and personalized the truth of those two verses like this: God loves me with a love that will never let me down and never let me go! The gospel songwriter Arthur Luther said it like this in a poem he wrote and published in 1927:

Earthly friends may prove untrue,
Doubts and fears assail;
One still loves and cares for you,
One Who will not fail.
Jesus never fails,
Jesus never fails.
Heav'n and earth may pass away,
But Jesus never fails.

3. I understand that ultimately the best way for me to cope with the hurt of betrayal is to become a loving and forgiving person, and to extend both mercy and grace to anyone who has wounded me (read Romans 12 today). To be angry, bitter, and desirous of revenge does not really hurt my “enemy,” but it certainly can have a defiling, devastating and destructive effect on me.

4. I am confident that everything will be rectified at the “Bema” (the “Judgment Seat of Christ”), and that God will “recompense” to each one according to what they have done during their life here on earth. Not only that, but a “super-sized” reward is promised and guaranteed to those who have been mistreated for Jesus’ sake (Matthew 5:11-12).

5. I am determined to be loyal to my Lord, my wife and family, my brothers and sisters in Christ, and any other friendships God has blessed me with during my brief sojourn here on earth.

I believe it was Mark Twain who said, “The more I know about people, the better I like my dog." Having experienced the sting of betrayal several times the past few years, I think I understand exactly what he means.

Perhaps that is also one reason why I probably will always be a sucker for lab puppies. I helped someone out a few years ago, and he decided to show me his appreciation for the work I did by presenting me with a six-week-old black lab puppy that Win and I named “Sadie Dakota.” (She is pictured at the top of this post). Like my first black lab, Shadow, Sadie is also fun-loving, mischievous – and loyal. I can’t help but think that the Lord knew that she would be exactly what I would need during the past three and a half years she has been with us. Talk about loyalty. . . Oh, my Sadie is so very attentive to me – and, at times, she, in turn, demands a lot of attention from me (especially when she wants something from me). In fact, I am going to have to bring this blog post to a close, because she has been bugging me, and it looks like I need to go rub my loyal dog’s belly!