Pam Padgett: teacher
This morning while considering how God sometimes helps us by confirming the way we’re going, I recalled something that happened yesterday.
While walking my dogs, I saw a neighbor’s dog running loose, even darting across the street which was getting increasing traffic as people were coming home from work. I know the owner and that she was not home, so I tried to catch the dog myself, but unsuccessfully. A young girl (approximately 12-13 years old) who lives across the street came to help. She was able to get the dog back into its yard, but told me that this was the second time since she had been home from school that she had put him back in the yard. I told her that I would take my dogs home, then come back and try to determine how the dog was getting out.
While walking home, I found myself praying. I very much like dogs and find myself “jumping into action” where they are concerned without any thought. So I asked God whether I was getting involved in something that should be handled another way.
I was reminded that in Deuteronomy 22 we’re told that we should get involved if we see our neighbor’s livestock in some kind of trouble, and felt that God was confirming the way I was going.
After getting my dogs home, I took two leashes and started back to the neighbor’s house, intending to bring both of the neighbor’s dogs to my house, and leave a note for the owner, if we couldn’t find how the one was getting out. It turned out we saw how the dog was getting out and the girl’s father, who by now had gotten home from work, addressed the problem.
After being reminded of this today, I went back and read in Deut. 22 …
Deut. 22: 1 Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt in any case bring them again unto thy brother. 2 And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it unto thine own house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it to him again. 3 In like manner shalt thou do with his ass; and so shalt thou do with his raiment; and with all lost thing of thy brother’s, which he hath lost, and thou hast found, shalt thou do likewise: thou mayest not hide thyself. 4 Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ass or his ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again.
As I read verse 2 I remembered how I had taken leashes back to the neighbor’s house, intending to bring the dogs to my house, if needed. I hadn’t stopped and looked at Deut. 22 while all of this was happening yesterday, but it was in my heart to do this. And I recalled that God puts his law into our hearts and minds.
Heb. 8: 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
It makes me grateful to God to think of the various ways He keeps us and helps us as we go about our ways on this earth.