My hubby and I have two, cute little dogs; their names are Goose and Maverick. (For Top Gun fans, yes, that Goose and Maverick.) Just like their namesakes, they are best friends, or at least I like to think that they are. They spend their days together, keeping each other company and getting each other in trouble. But just like all “brothers,” things aren’t always so rosy between them. They’ll fight and bicker and seem to annoy one another to pieces. And yet, no matter the mood they appear to be in, they have this quirky habit that whenever one of them barks, the other immediately comes running to his side. It’s as if they want to check out what’s going on, make sure that their brother is o.k. and take care of anything that is needed.
As I watch this phenomenon and see the immediate response that my dogs have to the call of the other, I’m reminded that our response should the same to our adopted brothers and sisters in Christ. When one of them calls, we should run to their sides. When one of them is need, we rush to help them meet it. If they are under attack, we’re there to help them defeat it. We should be as responsive to the cries of the Church as my dogs are to the bark of the other.
And yet, I fear that often we are not. I fear that our perceived inadequacies or our own insecurities cause us to keep our hands folded when we should be reaching them out. We “mind our own business,” unsure whether we should get involved.
My dogs have no such hesitation. When one barks, the other is there. Without hesitation. Without equivocation. Without a need to explain.
When our brothers or sisters are in need, may we run to their call.
