Dougie Doesn't Know Best

Dougie the Doggie is having a bit of trouble these days. I am not quite sure what his problem is. At first, I thought it was fleas, and treated him (and all the canines) with Advantage. The scratching didn't stop...in fact, it got worse. I have been reading up on all the possibilities, and trying different remedies on this poor old dog.

He didn't like the apple cider vinegar, not one little bit. He howled until I washed it off. I tried Melaleuca oil, which seemed to ease the itching, but again, he tried to rub it off. The next trial cure was Arnica gel. It seemed to soothe his skin, and he didn't scratch as much for a day or two.

This morning, I thought I'd apply Arnica gel again. I heard Dougie thumping his way down the stairs, so I was ready with the Arnica. He came around the corner, took one look at me, and high-tailed it back up the stairs!

I was reading the first part of Isaiah this morning:

Chapter 1:2 ¶ Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the LORD has spoken: "I have nourished and brought up children, And they have rebelled against Me; 3 The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master’s crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider."

This morning, Dougie was a great example of this sort of rebellion. He did not consider that I, his owner, who has taken care of him since he was a young pup, might know something and might be able to help. In the same way, we children of God rebel against our LORD, and do not consider all of the facts.

4 Alas, sinful nation, A people laden with iniquity, A brood of evildoers, Children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the LORD, They have provoked to anger The Holy One of Israel, They have turned away backward.

Dougie LITERALLY turned away backward, when he saw me standing there with gel to soothe his sore skin. He scrambled to flee from the one person who could do something about his problem. Don't we do the same thing, though? We're laden with iniquity, full of evil, and instead of fleeing to the One who can help us, we scramble to run away as fast as we can.

5 Why should you be stricken again? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, And the whole heart faints. 6 From the sole of the foot even to the head, There is no soundness in it, But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; They have not been closed or bound up, Or soothed with ointment.

God sends trials to us in order to bind up our wounds, to soothe us with ointment, to heal us from our diseases. Of course, you'd have to read the rest of Isaiah to find out how gloriously God moves on behalf of His people.

I thank God for this reminder today. God used my little, pathetic dog to teach me more about Himself. I am too quick to deny that there's anything wrong. I flee the other way, trying everything I can to fix my own problems, instead of turning to God, who is the One who has the remedy for whatever ails me.

Dougie, when he finally submitted to me and allowed me to slather him with Arnica gel, made grateful noises in the back of his throat as I rubbed him with the soothing gel. He relaxed and rested on his pillow, sighing once in a while, more content than he has been in a while.

I, too, must submit and allow my God to do His work in me. He must treat my diseases with whatever He deems necessary, in order to soothe me and get me ready for His service.

Go ahead, Lord. Bind up my wounds. Soothe me with Your ointment.

I won't run away.

Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. 19 If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land;