It's Out There!
A full moon shone vibrantly this week, making ominous winks between storm clouds. Anyone who has ever taught school or worked in the medical profession understands that full moons mean a barrel of crazy. Just ask Luca because…It’s Out There!
Prior to the first of the year, Luca obediently went to his kennel every night for bed. He would occasionally bark during the night but not a great deal. However, courtesy of the airline fiascos and FAA debacles of the holiday season, I ended up driving my eldest back to Orlando so she could return to work on time (Oh darn - I know! Good thing I have a lenient boss!) Somehow my youngest finagled a trip too the next weekend to join us “so mom wouldn’t have to drive home by herself.” And the girls and I had a grand old time playing.
Meanwhile, Luca had a grand old time with dad, developing new sleeping habits aka my spot on the bed…
Now Jeff swears he was a great bed partner the entire time I was gone. He never barked. He never got up and roamed during the night. He minded his manners extremely well for almost two weeks.
Do you know how long it takes for something to become a habit? For a human, it’s around two weeks. I have no idea how long it is for a dog, but now there’s an elephant in the room or a 38 pound Lagotto Romagnolo in my bed!
Ever since I became a mother, I have suffered from sleep struggles. Every little bump in the night wakes me up, so every little shift and snuffle, I’m wide eyed. I tried putting him back in his kennel, and you can imagine how that went - incessant whining and crying all night long. At that point, I seriously considered putting the husband in the kennel.
Presently, Luca is out of my bed and simply roaming the house at night and sleeping wherever he wants. He’s been pretty good until this full moon week and the barking - all night long - because obviously, IT IS OUT THERE!!!!
Why is he barking? I get up and look and see absolutely nothing. According to Science Daily, “dogs have significant adaptations for low-light vision.” Not only can they see extremely well with only a little light, their ability to detect motion is highly sensitive. When Luca nearly jerks my arm off when we are walking, I see the squirrel a full 16 seconds after he has already removed my arm from its socket.
So during this full moon week, my precious pup really is diligently performing his guard duties albeit annoying and disrupting to my sleep. A big bad racoon, maybe a deer or two, those pesky bunnies are all making their nightly rounds, and he can see them clearly. But what if? What if it’s a skunk? What if it’s a bobcat? We have had those before. A coyote? A black bear would not be out of the question. What if a thief has actually come to steal, kill, or destroy?
1 Peter 5:8 tells us to Be sober-minded, be alert! Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.
And there is the real lesson of IT being out there. Something is out there, and Luca knows it. He can see it and sense it. He’s a dog. He can see in the dark. He is trying to warn me. I may not perceive it as danger, but he’s telling me that there is something crawling or creeping or pawing or walking outside his house. He is performing his due diligence as my watchdog, alerting me to all that surrounds me. He understands his mission as my protector.
The problem occurs when I really don’t care. I hate the barking, and I only want to be asleep. I only want the barking to stop so I can go back to business as usual. But Satan is always on the prowl. We get so desensitized to sin, we think that it is always a deer or a racoon or a bunny. But what happens when the racoon has rabies, or it is a skunk, or heaven forbid, a thief has come to steal, kill, or destroy.
For our struggle is not of flesh and blood, but against rulers, against authorities, against the cosmic powers of this dark world , against evil, spiritual forces in the heavenly realm. Ephesians 6:12
Now with Luca, I have two options. I can either get better curtains and shut them tighter and pretend that IT really is not out there, or I can provide a safer environment for all of us at night where he is not as free to roam, and we all get better rest. And for ourselves, we cannot become desensitized to sin. IT is out there prowling, and we are not capable of discerning which ITs are harmless and which ITs will destroy. Too often, I don’t recognize I’m simply shutting the curtains, but Satin still prowls. I’ve done nothing to work on my environment to fight those forces who are attempting to steal my peace, my security, my walk with God. In all honesty, I just get lazy and ignore the dog.
Full moons bring out the crazy in many of us, but a little reminder to be on the lookout for our adversary is always a good idea. Don't get desensitized to sin. Stay in God's word daily. Talk with Him about everything-the deer and rabbits as well as the thieves threatening to destroy you. Worship him day and night. Don't just close the curtains tighter and pray IT won't get you.
Get a good night’s rest, and if you want a good guard dog - there’s always Luca.
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