Torrey

The barking demanded attention as soon as we approached the animal shelter gate. As soon as any human walked within view, the dogs started barking.

Barking for attention. Barking for recognition. Barking because it might be feeding time. Barking just because all the other dogs are barking.

Multiple dogs in the larger kennels scrapped and jumped and played, adding to the commotion, because the dogs in adjacent kennels wanted in on the action. With all the chaos and noise, the sensory overload overwhelmed us.

We were there to adopt a dog. After finding two possible companions on the shelter website, we arrived, and asked to take them for a walk, one at a time. Fletch, the golden retriever cross, was so happy to be sprung from his kennel he about ripped my arm off, bolting out to the limit of the leash in front of me. Sara, the sweet looking aussie-shepherd cross, just as eager to be unexpectedly out, worked my other arm out of its socket. But neither dog showed any interest in us as they darted wildly from side to side across the path, inhaling as many new and exciting smells as they could in their brief moments of freedom.

When we returned from walking Sara, my daughter noticed a lone dog looking at her from a kennel across the yard. In stark contrast to dogs wildly clamoring for attention and the canine maniacs we had just walked, this dog sat quietly. When my wife and daughter approached her kennel, she wagged excitedly with a hopeful look, but didn’t bark or jump.

When the staff brought her into the office so we could go for a walk, the dog strolled directly to my wife, placed her furry brown head in her lap, looked up, and wagged mightily, as if to say, “Thank you for choosing me! I’m the one you’ve been looking for. What took you so long?”

Kind of like the way God waits patiently for us to choose Him during chaotic times. He offers peace instead of pandemonium; humility in the midst of the hubbub; clarity within the clamor. We just need to take a moment and remember He created the universe, He is in control, and He loves us.

Paul wrote, “God is not a God of disorder but of peace” (1 Cor. 14:33). When we’re done worrying about the turmoil engulfing us, God is there, patiently and peacefully waiting for us to choose Him.

What’s taking you so long?