My Two Dogs, and How They Love Me
If you aren't familiar with the story of Mary and Martha, read Luke 10:38-42. In essence, it's the story of two sisters who choose to serve Jesus in different ways according to their personalities, Martha by working hard to make sure Jesus' physical needs are met and Mary, who showed her devotion by sitting at Jesus' feet and soaking up His words and presence.
Jazmine is our Martha through and through. She is imposing in size and strength. She demands respect and even fear for those who don't know her. I have seen people pull out knives to protect themselves when they see her on the street. She is regal and commanding, drawing attention for her beauty and stature wherever she goes. Her romp is magical, but her stride purposeful and her run is power in motion. She believes, without apology, that her mission in life is to protect us and take care of us.
When the house is full of people, Jazmine can't relax. She has to make sure everyone is on the guest list and is welcome by us to be there. Then, when she gets that message, they become part of her tribe, her extended family. They become part of her protected circle. She roams the rooms, checking on everyone's well-being, occasionally pausing to accept a scratch behind the ears or gobble up a dropped morsel of food. Most of the time, she is scolded and told to "go lie down", quit her fussing and leave people alone. Her size makes it impossible for her to hide gracefully under the table or beside a chair. She gets tripped over, pushed aside and stepped on, but that doesn't deter her efforts to make her rounds over and over throughout the event. She exhausts us and herself with her nervous pacing and checking. If we lose our patience and regale her to the garage, she gets extremely offended and will whine, scratch and bark incessantly until we give up and let her back in.
If a baby is crying, she gets worried; if someone laughs too loud, she has to jump up to see why. Her large, pointed ears are always alert and even lying down, there is a tension in her shoulders, she is ready to leap to our defense at a moment's threat, protect us from attack. Even if she is familiar with our guests, Jaz is not amused by those who overstay their welcome or create chaos in our home. As people start to leave, she is visibly relieved and gradually relaxes back to her more casual guard dog mode, curled up by the front door.
Jazmine is not very affectionate unless it's her idea. She does not like to be cuddled, hugged or embraced in any way. I think it makes her feel trapped and less able to do her job, which is to stand alert and ready to attack whatever or whomever is harming us. In her 11 years of life, she has never actually witnessed anyone attempting to harm us, mind you. So there's no precedence, no memory of needing to act quickly, no training to "sic em" ever occurred. It's pure instinct, simple and true. Jazmine knows her purpose and pursues excellence and discipline in carrying out her inner drive to protect and defend. I have no doubt she would and could kill someone if necessary. And as irritated as I get with her hovering and restlessness sometimes, I am grateful for her devotion and how safe I feel when I am with her.
Charlie Parker, on the other hand is most definitely our Mary. Nothing matters to Charlie but showing and receiving love and affection. He is loyal to us, but friendly to everyone. Charlie doesn't understand why anyone would NOT want him in their lap, jumping up to lick their hand, or following them around the house from room to room. I never really understood the term "nipping at your heels" until we adopted Charlie. He literally follows me so closely, his teeth catch on my legs and feet as he attempts to keep up and not be left behind.
Charlie is passionate about being in my company. He waits for me every morning right outside my door. If I peek out to look for him, he is at attention, his whole body wound up tensely as he eagerly awaits my appearance! When I come home from work, he is waiting at the garage door. He leaps and dances on my feet, insisting on immediate greetings before I can even set my purse on the counter. He twirls and flips and I imagine, if it was possible, he would even sing and giggle in glee. The minute I sit down in my chair to check my email, he plants himself at my feet, sitting like a good boy, looking up eagerly, trying to catch my eye. If I even glance in his direction, he assumes this is an invitation to barrel into my lap, lick my face, nuzzle into my hair and sabotage my efforts to relax. If I push him away or ignore him, he pouts for awhile before hopping off to see if Warren is available to play. But he always returns to me before long. He knows who his master is and I am his chosen source of devotion and companionship!
Like Jazmine, Charlie is unapologetic in his commitment to fulfilling what he believes his destiny and purpose in life. He was born to love and be loved. He knows he is adorable and irresistible but not for arrogance sake, simply to bring me more joy when I look at him and his sweet face. He lives for affection and attention, but not selfishly, instead to give me a reason to practice loving, focusing on his dedication to me. Even if I get irritated and weary of his constant presence and demands, he only lays low long enough to make me miss him and appreciate his returning adoration.
Many people think that Jesus preferred Mary as he seemed to scold Martha when she complained about her sister's lack of assistance with all the duties of the evening. He said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” And it does seem to sound like Jesus is putting Martha in her place.
But I tend to wonder (as a person who is more Martha-esque at times), if Jesus was simply reminding Martha that she needed to allow and respect Mary for being the person she was called to be. Mary didn't apologize for her display of devotion to Jesus. She was loving him in the only way she knew how, by giving him her complete attention. She was at his feet, listening, soaking in his presence. The "better" thing that Mary chose was simply to be at peace with who she was made to be, what she was called to do to show her love and adoration to her master.
The better choice for Martha would have been not to be "worried and upset with many things", but instead to understand that her personality, her way of loving Jesus was to serve him and his physical needs, with food and drink and a warm, relaxing home in which to rest. If she really wanted to please him, she would have instead been confident and determined to be the person she was created to be, allowing Mary to do the same. Instead, she complains to Jesus about her sister not being more like her.
Mary was born to love by listening. Martha was created to love by serving. Does this mean that Mary never served and Martha never listened? Probably not, because we all have to function in the world, meeting the needs of the people around us and balancing the many roles and duties that are required of us. But when it comes to our passion, the unique way that each person responds to loving the Lord, we must understand what we were created to be and how we were designed to love if we are ever going to feel the satisfaction of basking in the peace and presence of God.
We are most at peace when we are loving God the way He created us to love Him. We are the furthest from that peace when we are comparing our way of loving God to another person's divine right to love God in a different way. This is not a statement about tolerance for every religion or non-religion on the planet. This is my way of reminding myself that I am not to be "worried and upset" with how I perceive my neighbor loving God. I am only required to attend to my own minute-by-minute efforts to love God in the way He created me to love Him.
Is Charlie a better dog than Jazmine because he sits at my feet and looks at me adoringly? Is Jazmine better in her doggie duties because she would give her life for me? Neither Jazmine or Charlie Parker is arrogant or competitive in their method of devotion. They are unapologetically confident in fulfilling their purpose of simply being a dog devoted to his and her master. At the end of the day, they sleep soundly, knowing that they successfully loved me the best way they each know how, for one more day. That is peace, my friends.
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