Loser Loyalty

Have you ever been bewildered by your own choices? Wondered why you stayed stuck in a cycle that you knew was not healthy for you? Or perhaps you didn’t see it in the moment, but now you look back and realize you were stuck in something unhealthy and couldn’t see it at the time?

I’d love to share with you a life lesson I learned from one of my favorite creatures, Maya.

A few minutes ago, I was in the backyard, sitting on my mom's swing reading a book. Beside me was a somewhat pitiful husky named Maya. She had been horribly abused by the neighbors, had a gunshot wound, and her hair was falling out because she was so malnourished. Through a long chain of events, my mom was able to adopt her with the blessing of the abusing neighbors, and we know she’s safe now.

She's precious, and it breaks my heart.

As we sat in the backyard, we heard the neighbors’ huge, rumbly truck pull onto the street. As the truck neared the house next door, Maya stood up and got excited, which made me realize she was excited to see her abusers. She looked toward their house, pulling on the leash and trying to get next door. She was, in fact, longing for her abusers! I quickly brought her inside because I didn't want her to get more wound up, all while thinking, “You stupid dog! Look how they treated you. You were shot, you've had nothing to eat, and you have been abused. You literally ate trash to survive. Why are you being loyal to the ones that brought you so much pain?”

As I was thinking this, I realized — don’t we do the same? Don’t I do the same? We stay loyal to things that abuse us and leave us spiritually malnourished. We long for things that ultimately hurt us. We spend emotional energy thinking about people or things that leave us broken, all while our tender Savior is looking at us, wanting to show us what true love looks like, if we would only let Him show us the true meaning of love and care.

As I brought the dog inside, I realized she probably thinks I'm a little mean. She sees what she thinks she wants, but I'm keeping her behind a boundary. It's a protection method, not an intention to be cruel. I realized, just as she is sitting here whining at me, how often have I done the same when I don’t get what I think I want? I question my Savior's intentions and His posture toward me. Ouch.

When we remain loyal to losers, we can't see clearly. We can't see clearly! It's all we know!

We think we know what's good, but it’s because we know nothing different. Satan is the father of lies and makes things that are bad look good. I’m sure that as this sweet dog spends more time with those who TRULY care for her, the abusers next door will lose their luster. Just as the more time we spend with our Savior, the more we recognize AUTHENTIC love, goodness, and care, and we can walk away from the trash.

Update: I originally wrote this in 2012. I'm happy to say that Maya became the picture of health and happiness. She gained 15 pounds to achieve her healthy weight, her coat thickened out, and while it took her four months, she finally wagged her tail. 🥹 She went from a blank-like stare to eventually losing it with excitement when we walked in the door. She displayed complete trust and became my favorite adventure buddy. Whew, a little teary. She lived out a very happy life and passed of old age in 2021. I sure miss my adventure and snuggle buddy, but I will forever carry with me what she taught me.

Nature often teaches us a spiritual truth, doesn't it?

How can we open our eyes to the areas where we remain loyal to the things that hurt us and take courageous steps to make a change?

As we become intimately aware of our Savior's voice and nature (which we do by reading His words in the Bible), we will not be so easily confused by things that only LOOK good. John 10 is a perfect example. I encourage you to read the entire chapter, but here's a snippet: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
(John 10:1–5)

Do you know His voice?