“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. (Revelation 22:13-15)
My family had a few pet dogs while I was growing up. For most of my childhood and adolescence, we had these two dogs, Max and Charlie. These dogs were fairly well-behaved, despite barking at anything that moved. We had gates inside our house and around our yard to help ensure they couldn’t go anywhere they weren’t supposed to. One day, we let the dogs into the yard, assuming that the gate was closed. After a while, I went out to check the yard and found the gate wide open and no dogs in sight. When we went to look for them, Max had found his way to the front door and he was just sitting there. Charlie, on the other hand, was running down the street. We eventually found him and brought him back.
The thing that I find most interesting about this passage is that, along with the idolaters and murderers, the dogs are outside the gate. Many of us who have had pet dogs might find this a little bit unsettling. When we imagine pet dogs, though, we miss the picture. I’ve been to several countries with lots of street dogs, and these are the ones I picture, desperate for scraps and only looking out for themselves. The thing about these street dogs, too, is that if you feed them, they will never leave you alone.
It’s possible that we’re talking about literal dogs — but the sentiment beneath that is what you feed sticks around. If you feed your sin, it doesn’t go away on its own. If you feed your addiction, it doesn’t go away on its own. If you don’t repent of it and release it, that sin will follow you around like a stray dog. However, if you feed self-control, discipline, and patience, these will also stick around and continue to grow.
I think that the dogs, along with the others mentioned here, let themselves out. We have the tendency to act a little bit like dogs. Yet, like my own dogs, while some of us may wander, others return home.
May we be people who return home.
Kassie Lowe
Young Adults Lead