A dog with dreadlocks

On our recent trip to Puerto Rico, we enjoyed going down to the beach to enjoy God’s beautiful creation. Just near the beach entrance from our hotel, there were some men who would rent beach lounge chairs. For $3 they would drag one to where-ever you wanted to relax. When you left, they would retrieve it. Where they were set up, there was a whole stack of lounge chairs just waiting for someone to come request them. We never seemed to stay on the beach for too long, so we just relaxed on our beach towels. There were several palm trees right near the chair rental booth, so in order to protect our little one’s sensitive skin, we would often set up in the shade of the palm trees.

One morning early in our trip, Bug-a-Boo started crawling rapidly toward the pile of chairs. It was obvious something had gotten his attention. We looked toward the rather boring looking pile of chairs and saw a dog near them. This dog looked rather like our dog, Angel back home. Now let me mention that our baby loves Angel. When the girl who was going to be pet-sitting while we were gone came to pick Angel up, Bug-a-Boo howled. He didn’t want anyone taking his dog away. He crawled over to Angel’s basket of toys, pulled one out, and rocked back and forth cradling Angel’s toy to him. So seeing this dog that looked a bit like Angel, it is no wonder that he wanted to get closer. Well, the dog must have seen him coming, for he went trotting off down the beach. We picked Bug-a-Boo up, distracted him with a palm leaf, and went back to playing.

There was one thing that stood out to me when I looked at this dog though. He had dreadlocks! I kid you not. His fur around his ears looked like he had extensions added, then formed into dreadlocks. I really wish I had gotten a photo of the dog, because it was so unusual looking. I then looked over at the man running the chair rental booth and, sure enough, his hair was fashioned into a series of dreadlocks as well. Obviously that man must have been the dogs owner, because his dog had taken on his characteristics.

All of a sudden it hit me – I am a lot like this dog! Just as this dog had an owner, I too have an “owner”. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” Jesus bought me when he died on the cross to take the penalty for my sins. I am so thankful; I want my life to bring him glory.

The dog’s owner obviously trusted him. He knew that he could let his dog wander freely on the beach and that in time, the dog would return to him. Sure enough, the next day I saw the dog sleeping contentedly under the pile of chairs. I would have taken his picture that day, except I heard the owner getting into a rather heated discussion with someone which for a while I thought may turn into a physical fight. When that happened, I thought it best to remember the mental picture, but leave the dog and his owner to themselves. It did make me think though, just as the dog’s owner gave him freedom, God gives me freedom. I can use this to bring either glory or shame to him. I hope I bring him glory!

What struck me most of all though, was that this dog took on his owner’s characteristics – dreadlocks. He began to look like his owner. In the same way, the more that I spend time with God and seek to follow him, the more I look like him, and the more I want to look like him. I’m grateful that God hasn’t called me to do my hair or that of my dog’s in dreadlocks, but I do hope that when people look at me, it will be obvious who I belong to, because I am taking on God’s characteristics.