She escaped from the backyard in order to walk with us to school. We tried to get her to go home. Busy streets were not the place for her. But our gangly little dog was too delighted to zig-zag in and out amongst our band of happy children, barking up a storm and enjoying the morning walk with everyone. The children eventually gave up trying to send her home and were really just as delighted to have her along. So, we tripped over her the whole time, shielded her from big street dogs, tried to quiet her yappiness, and worked hard to keep her penned in at the school courtyard when she was confused and wanted to go home.
Finally, all our little people were settled in their classrooms and the tía and I made for home with Naira darting all about us. We successfully crossed the first busy street. She stayed right by our heels. On our second street crossing, Naira got spooked by a neighbor dog and backed into the street right in front of an oncoming van. Thankfully, he saw her in time to break hard. Whew. That was close.
We were less than a block from home when the biggest and scariest street dog emerged. The one the children have nicknamed "El Lobo" (the wolf - although he doesn't look like one). Poor Naira was scared out of her wits. El Lobo chased her down the street. She whined and cried and tried to get back to safety with us. We tried in vain to help, but the two dogs were running all around too fast for us to do much.
At that moment, another van came rumbling down the cobblestones. This driver, too, saw our frantic little pup's confusion and slowed down to allow her to get out of the way. Well, she escaped his front wheels, but in her fear of El Lobo, she had an accident with the back wheels. We don't know exactly what happened, but there was a minor collision; it appeared to us that Naira's back leg got hit. I thought we would have an injured dog on our hands, but that it wouldn't be too serious. She stumbled over to the side of the road where we were standing and collapsed in the grass. It seemed she was fainting or going into shock. I'm not really sure. It was very strange. Gingerly, I picked her up and we made for home. As we were walking, she seemed to be struggling to breath, and then she went limp. I didn't realize it until we got home, but in that moment, our poor little Naira died.
Perhaps she had a heart attack. Or perhaps her injuries were internal and much worse than we realized. Whatever the case, it was hard to believe the little dog that had followed us so happily to school and back was suddenly gone. I had not developed much attachment to Naira yet, considering that most of my interactions with her were to chase her out of the house or lecture her for getting into the garbage...again. But I knew the children loved her and played with her all the time. How were they going to take the news?
We explained it to them gently upon their dismissal from school. There were gasps and questions, but no tears. The whole situation opened up natural conversations about death and heaven and animals dying as we walked home. Upon our arrival, they all wanted to see Naira in her cardboard box. She looked the same as before; no blood, no visible injuries. Just very, very still. She was a source of fascination for them all the rest of the day as they constantly visited her box and bent over her with compassionate faces. They also poured out their child-like love on Naira's little sister who was whining most of the afternoon in loneliness and confusion at all of a sudden being tied to a leash (we didn't want any more escapees).
We talked about having a funeral for Naira, but we had no shovel with which to dig a hole. Late in the afternoon, the children decided to try anyway. Armed with sticks and a broken hoe and anything they could find for digging, they began to chip away at the hard-packed earth in the backyard to give their doggy a proper burial. It was so sweet to see their united efforts. They had a project. It gave them purpose and they diligently worked as a team for a long, long time before dinner. I'm afraid they will have to keep digging all day tomorrow with their pointy sticks in order to have a hole big enough for Naira. But at least they're motivated. Some are even looking for buried treasure while they're at it.
Though but a skinny little pup, Naira's passing made me realize how fragile life is and how unexpectedly death comes. As I shared with the children, we never know when it will be our turn to die and face our Creator, and therefore, we must always be ready.
What about you? If you were to be in an accident, develop a terminal disease, or experience some other tragedy and die, would you be ready to meet the Lord Jesus Christ and give account for your life? Unlike animals, we as humans are made in the image of God with a conscience that knows right from wrong. When we violate that conscience and willfully choose to do wrong, it's called sin. Lying, dishonoring parents, hating, stealing, lusting, coveting; rebellion, pride, selfishness; these are but a few examples of the sins we as a human race commit all the time and the list could go on and on an on. Sin separates us from having a relationship with our Creator during this lifetime because He is holy and just and righteousness, and if we were to die and be held accountable for all our sins before this Holy God, we would deserve an eternity separated from Him in hell.
But the good news is, "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." We were designed for LIFE; life in fellowship with our Creator right here and right now, life everlasting in His presence forever. The only way to be rescued from the everlasting death we bring upon ourselves through our sin is through the Lord Jesus Christ. He paid the price for our sin by offering Himself as the atoning sacrifice, dying in our place...the place of execution. He allowed His blood to be spilled upon a Roman cross because "the life of the blood is in the flesh." Only His blood was a worthy sacrifice because only His life was perfect, pure, and holy, acceptable to the Father. He said in His own words, "I have come to seek and to save the lost...I have come that they might have LIFE and that they might have it more abundantly...I am the way, the truth, and the LIFE; no man cometh unto the Father but by me." He died in our place and then came to life again, offering this same resurrection life, this everlasting life to all who will believe in Him. Believing in Him means turning away from a trust in anything else: good works, idols of wood or stone, church membership, baptism, family religion. None of these things can save from God's wrath or justify one before His holy standards. Only the Lord Jesus can step in and say, "This one has been cleansed by my blood, this one is forgiven, this one bears my righteousness. This one has been given everlasting life."
My friends, we need not fear dying or standing before our Maker if we are clothed in the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. In Him we have hope!
"He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the Name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life..." (1 John 5:12-13)
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