Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath, December 21, 2024
I’ve never owned a dog, as a grownup. (The farm dog we had when I was a kid was never very interested in me or my siblings. He seemed to consider himself a farmhand, and did a superb job of keeping our farm rat-free.)
Therefore, when I came across the little pink object on a walk in late October, I didn’t recognize it. But suddenly I remembered a conversation with a neighbor who was in company with a large, placid Golden Retriever. He said, “Do you want to give Winston a treat?” He handed me one of these things, and Winston accepted it gratefully.
Because of a bit of online research, I can confidently tell you that what you’re looking at is a Milk Bone Mini dog treat. (“Milk Bone” is printed on it.) I’d never seen one on our neighborhood sidewalks before, probably because if an owner happened to carelessly drop one from his treat-pouch, his vigilant dog would immediately spot and claim it. But this treat remained unconsumed.
This got me to thinking about God’s “treats.” “Bless the Lord, O my soul,” sings David in Psalm 103:2 “and forget not all His benefits.”
Is it possible that we take God’s benefits for granted? I’ve been guilty of this many times. Yet the Bible says “forget NOT,” which means that I need to slow down and recognize these blessings – my eyes, my ears, my nose, my fingernails, my taste buds, my digestive system, my office computer monitor and the little box that runs it, my fingers that remember how to type, (and on and on).
Here are a couple of links to some Bible verses which remind us how well God “treats” us, and why it’s important to be grateful: