Toby the Church dog
Hello dear friends!
I try to be a good boy; I really do. In spite of this, I sometimes hear my name said sharply by my parents. “Toby!” Now when I hear my name, I generally stop what I’m doing and turn my attention to the speaker. It might be you or another of my friends, and I never want to miss out on an interaction with someone special to me. But, when my name is repeated again and again in a tone that I find annoying, I tend to tune it out. Unfortunately, this happens almost daily within my house; and the vocal tone seems to become more strident if I ignore the call to attention.
Sometimes additional words are added to my spoken name. Frequently I hear, “Toby, No bark!” Frankly, this hurts my feelings. It’s not as if I bark just to hear myself talking—well, not often, anyway. I bark to alert, to warn, to greet, to protect, and for so many other reasons: “I hear a noise, I hear a noise, I hear a noise!”, “Hey you! Get off my sidewalk!”, or “Well hello there, pretty lady!” While I don’t like to brag, I do have quite a nice voice; a pleasing baritone, if you will. As needed I can dip down into a bass range, and I can even sustain my vocalization as needed to make my point! You want to hear a vibrato; I’ve got it too! Yes, I don’t think there is anything wrong with my voice; certainly not something that should cause someone (my parents!) to “shush” me.
In fact, I do try to be mindful of my surroundings and to adopt a demeanor of dignified reserve when called for. Mom and Dad are often complimenting me on how well I get into a zone of rest and reflection when I bring them to my office and monitor their work. I find that they are easily distracted, and I work to set a good example.
While it may look to the outside world as if I am merely sleeping, this could not be farther from the truth! I believe time with God is so important; and it cannot always be about my requests, my concerns, and my worries handed to God —sometimes I need to listen. And that is what I’ve decided to do! I quiet myself and wait to hear (or feel) what God wishes to share with me. This I know; God always has something important to share with us!
Nothing can ever quiet me in proclaiming my care for you, dear friends! Know that you are loved by me.
Your church dog,
ToBY
For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.
Psalm 62:5
Grand Lake Community Chapel 