The Best in Show

Sadie the Scottish Terrier was the "Top Dog", winning the 2010 Westminster Dog show last night (Tuesday, February 16, 2010). It was the 134th show in the organization's history and Sadie is a dog that is a true champion. Sadie is four years old and she has won over 100 competitions. She can say the words "hot dog" and "cookie" in five languages. Just look at her, she's well behaved and groomed better than most human beings, and lives the good life, but works hard for it.

To be a "Top Dog" and the "Best in Show" each participant has to compete at a number of dog shows and win the "Best in Breed" title first before becoming the most outstanding dog of the year. The owners of these dogs spend thousands of dollars on trainers, groomers, handlers, breeders, and veterinarians. There's also the cost of food, housing, traveling, and much more. When the dogs are competing the spectators are seeing millions of dollars and thousands of hours spent by the dogs' owners on preparing their dog to be the "Top Dog" but there is only one Westminster "Best in Show" each year.

Please remember I am talking about dogs, not people. If dogs can be trained to perform in an excellent way in front of thousands of people then what is stopping so many people from being and doing their best? I think one reason is that people do not know who they belong to. Each person on Earth was bought with the life of Jesus Christ and have all been adopted into the family of God. We are all children of the great "I AM." The problem is that many people do not know or believe this and refuse to accept the gift of salvation and receive Jesus Christ as their Savior. God does not force anyone to do something they do not want to do. So, if people decide they do not want to be part of the body of Christ, then they are not and they do not know how much they are loved and how special they truly are. If people do not know this truth, they may believe lies about themselves and do things that are harmful to themselves and/or others.

One thing I am always reminded of when I see a dog show is that dogs historically all had jobs that helped people live better. As I was watching the Westminster Dog Show last night I was reminded of this fact. I found it amazing. A dog's size, body structure, hair (straight, curly, long, short, etc), type of paws, type of tail all determine what kind of job a dog did. There are dogs with webbed feet and dense curly hair that were used to retrieve ducks from the rivers and streams that their masters shot down while hunting. There are dogs that were "ratters" which means they caught and killed rats on farms. The list goes on and on. I also learned that many years ago people learned how to breed dogs so they could create the dogs they needed to train for specific tasks. In todays society most dogs are pets, but there are many that still have lots of work to do.

Hmm. If dogs, have a job, a purpose that is helpful to others, how much more do we as humans have a purpose? Each one of us has a Godly purpose and God himself designed us for that purpose. We each have everything we need to fulfill what we are supposed to be doing. Too bad many of us get side tracked because we think we are not smart enough, strong enough, pretty enough or talented enough to do what we are supposed to do. Not knowing who we are is one problem many people have, but the other is knowing who we are, but refusing to do what God has called us to do.

Okay, so what does it take to be a "Top Dog" to be the "Best in Show?" The very first thing is love. The owners of these dogs have to love them very much, an abused dog could never perform in such an excellent way. The second thing is obedience. To be a "Top Dog" Sadie had to obey her master and trainers. Third, it takes practice, discipline, determination, and perseverance to be the very best. Yes, I am still talking about Sadie. If Sadie did not have the characteristics to compete, her master would of still loved her, but she would not be the 2010 Westminster champion.

God loves each person so much more than a master could possibly love their dog. God loves us so much that he sent he only son Jesus to die for our sins. Our sin debt has been paid in full. As Christians we need to receive the love God has given us, listen to and read his word and be obedient to it. To be obedient means following instructions not from our master, but from our Abba (loving) father, who wants only the best for us. He made us, he loves us, and he wants us to know him and to mature as a child of God so we will be blessed and be a blessing to others.

Jeremiah 29:11 reads, "He knows what He's doing. He has it all planned out; to take care of me; to give me the future I hoped for."