Who Let the Dogs Out?

I should have named my dogs Houdini 1 and Houdini 2.  These escape artists are somehow slipping through the fence on a daily basis.  My husband and daughter walked the seven-acre perimeter (we bought this land already fenced in) and reinforced every possible opening four times last week.  And yet, my patient neighbor continues to call me and say, “the dogs are out again”. We’ve spent hours inspecting fences and trying all the training tricks to convince these puppies to stay home.  Everyday my husband triumphantly announces “I got it this time” only to look out the window and see the dogs merrily meandering through the neighbor’s pasture.

Last week another neighbor told me how easy it is to miss holes in these fences, it had just happened to him.  His dogs kept getting into the goat pen and for weeks he couldn’t figure out how.  Turns out the big ole hole was right in front of him all along!  I kindly assured him our fence was thoroughly inspected and intact.  The dogs must be digging out or possibly teleporting.

Yesterday while looking over our new pond, we noticed a 3×3 opening in the fence.  How in the world did we miss it all those times?   It was obviously a spot someone had purposely cut years ago.  We just kept missing it.

My mind immediately went to the blind spots and weak places in my own life.  Their discovery was usually fraught with surprise and shame, discomfort and denial.

Some of those holes were my own creation.  With a chainsaw of selfishness, impatience and anger, I carved some impressive holes in my fence.   Pride, stubbornness and shame blinded me to their existence.

But some of those holes were punched out long before I came along, I just happened to inherit land with holey fences.  In the Christian world we call these places generational curses or familial strongholds.  Alcoholism, anger and incest are holes in my family’s fences that left me vulnerable to attack.  I spent years wandering the land trying to figure out where the pain was getting in.  Once I saw the wounds for what they were, I realized I needed some fence mending assistance.  These counselors and prayer ministers knew exactly what tools were needed and walked me back to truth (Jesus) and wholeness.

It is the power of truth and the healing love of Jesus that inspires and fuels my desire to live in community.  I want everyone to experience the love of God and the healing of their hearts!  This naturally happens as we turn our hearts to Him, worship together and commit to loving each other like Jesus loves.

Bottom line, whether your holes are inherited or your own personal doing, the same wire is used to mend them.  Truth. The truth of who God is and who we are in His eyes.  The truth that we belong to Him and He loves us unconditionally.   In John chapter 8, Jesus explains truth and its power.  Thanks to the completeness of God’s redemption, those mended places are so reinforced they become a strength for others instead of a stronghold of pain.

PS- If you need some professional fence menders in your life, I encourage you to contact Tom and Donna Cole at Hope Grows Farm and Restoration Center