Entitlement Dog

For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. 2 Thessalonians 3:10

Thirty minutes before the alarm was scheduled to go off this morning my basset buzzer sounded. It is attached to the 65 pound hound who stole my heart as a puppy. Unlike my alarm, Sam has no snooze button. Ignoring him is futile.

As a youngster, Sam had “doggie door” privileges. He was allowed to come and go as he pleased. However, it pleased him to take things outside that shouldn’t go outside (my glasses, snacks, knitting projects, socks, etc.) and bring inside things that shouldn’t be inside (mud, etc.). That didn’t please me so much, so the doggie door remains closed most of the time. The result is that Sam has to ask to go out and come in, and I get to check to make sure no contraband is coming in or going out - it is like a border crossing, except you don’t have to have the mud wiped off your feet to cross the border.

So, this morning I drug myself out of bed and opened the doggie door so that Sam could both go out the door and come back in without disturbing me, yet again. No sooner had I returned to my bed and settled in, then Sam was whining at the door to be let back in. Yes, he had gone out the doggie door. But, he has become so accustomed to whining to get someone to open the door that he totally missed the fact that he had been empowered to do it on his own.

And so, it hit me. My dog is a liberal. He wants food, shelter, health care, and doggie treats, but he doesn’t want to have to work for them. Even when he is provided with a means to take care of himself, he whines and expects me to do things for him.

Here’s the really scary part. I know better. An annoying basset hound is not the fault of the dog. It is the fault of the owner. When I pay attention to exercising Sam (a tired basset is a good basset) and training him to do things the right way, he gets the message and complies. After all, his whining to get in and out is trained behavior as a result of his poor doggie door protocol. I have gotten exactly what I asked for. It is just easier to get up and let him in and out than it is to re-train him.

Anybody seeing where this message is going in relation to government?

Let me just say, it is time for us to start checking to see if the doggie doors in our life are open and we are expecting something we should be able to do for ourselves. It is time to pick up the slack.

Lord, thank you for Your Word that clearly articulates the principles under which you expect us to operate. Amen