As an occasional jogger, and on this particular Friday, as I left my driveway, I was to receive some ‘heart’ conditioning I didn’t expect nor thought I ever needed. The half-way point of this excursion was the SDA church I attended where I would check the furnaces to make sure they would come alive in the morning for warming the pews for the ‘pew warmers’.
A short distance from the driveway, I encountered my neighbor’s toy poodle that gave chase and who had twice before scratched my bare calf enough to let me know I was still a ‘red ‘blooded’ American’. Nothing serious, but I wasn’t about to let my leg become his ‘drumstick’ a third time. So, spinning on my Nikes, I delivered a mighty kick hoping to put that disgusting ‘toy’ in orbit to teach him some manners. As usual, he was faster than my hoof and avoided my launching attempt. However, this skirmish alerted the attention of one of the boys to whom this pet belonged and he came running to defend it, caring nothing about me.
“If you kick my dog you’re going to be in serious trouble,” he yelled!
“I have every right to jog on this public road that my tax dollars help to maintain,” I retorted.
“But, someone else already kicked him hard enough that we needed to take him to the vet,” he yelled back.
“Awesome”, I thought to myself, wishing I had been granted the privilege for such a kick.
“Well,” I continued, “I’ve been bitten twice by your dog and don’t intend to let it happen again. I should be able to jog down this street without being harassed by this obnoxious creature!”
Our acrid exchange of words brought the boy’s mother across the yard, whom I wrongly assumed, would come to my defense. NOT! Surely, she knows I have every right to jog on this road without being harassed by her dog.
“Jog somewhere else”, She yelled. “You upset my dog when you run by here!”
That did it. We exchanged a cacophony of words at each other. Forth and back flew the sparks. It was a poignant scene.
Then, when she told me her property extended to middle of the road, I could stand no more. Her entire reasoning was so ridiculous I spun around and left with more adrenaline to propel my legs than ever before. I HAD A RIGHT TO JOG IN THAT STREET! I WAS RIGHT, SHE WAS ALL WRONG! These and other thoughts ricocheted through my ‘hot’ head as I continued toward the church.
Making my way down the church hall to the furnace room, I noticed a light was on in the youth chapel. “Well, I’ll take care of that after I check the furnaces.” Convinced that they would behave themselves at the appropriate time, I headed for the youth chapel. As I entered to douse the light, I discover it was the spotlight that illuminated the youthful smile of the artist conception of Jesus’ portrait. Instantly, something hammered me with the word picture of Jesus compared to the ‘rights movement’ going on inside my cranium. “He was pierced for my sins. He was crushed for my iniquities. He was wounded for my transgressions. He was oppressed and afflicted for my sins. He was mistreated and falsely accused. Yet He bore it all without saying a word. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep stands silent before its shearers, still, He did not open His mouth. He was unjustly arrested, sentenced, and led away to die. He was nailed to the wood for my sins when I deserved to die.” [Isa. 53:3-7 Abridged]
Suddenly, my case with a toy poodle didn’t seem to hold up in this silent courtroom as I stood there staring in His face full of love and invitation. I began to feel what Peter felt almost 2,000 years ago. I heard no rooster crow, but the denial of my Lord was just as evident. The back of a pew caught me as I sank to my knees to apologize for actions and reactions to my neighbor. That was the easy part, but I knew what should follow was going to be more difficult—facing my neighbor!
Before I raised to my feet, it began to occur to me that for that spotlight to be on, it had to survive the inspection of the deacons following church on the previous Sabbath to extinguish any lights. And, following prayer meeting on Wednesday evening it would have been turned off also. Even the custodians on Thursday would have turned it off had it been left on then. Chills joined my convictions as I wondered if perhaps an unseen hand had lit that light just before my arrival to subtly bring sense and repentance for my outbursts earlier on the road.
Then, the suggestion came to me that if I just witnessed some kind of miracle, then perhaps the same power could be tapped to enable me to courageously face my neighbor and her son on my way home. So, I prayed for that enabling. Still, it was hard to retrace my steps and face the memory of an angry situation of an hour before. I also had to admit there were still some residual poundings in my self-righteous head regarding being able to use that public road for my own activities.
With reservations I rounded the last corner looking toward the scene of the former conflict and there was the neighbor boy waiting near the edge of their property. “Oh no”, I thought, “here goes again! Another attack!” Since I’d already been seen, I couldn’t sneak down a side road and come in on the back of my property. Besides, I’d been convicted to face my problem and try to make amends, with the help of the Holy Spirit.
My paced slowed slightly as I approached the boy.
“Hey, mister,” the boy called, “My mom wants to see you.”
Really alarmed now, I reluctantly agreed to go up their driveway with him and face whatever was to come. When we reached the porch, the boy summoned his mom. As she approached the door it looked like she had been crying, and I wondered what that meant.
With handkerchief in hand and on her face, she opened the door and I couldn’t believe her words. “Mister Duffield, I’m so sorry I acted so badly and was so angry,” she blurted out through a cascade of tears.
Amazed at her changed attitude, I too apologized for the way I had acted and for the salty words I had spoken.
“You see,” she began to explain, “I just got the dog back from the vet because someone else kicked him and broke his neck. That cost me $150. Then my husband was admitted to the hospital two days ago because he uncovered a yellow jacket’s nest while driving a tractor. He was stung so many times it landed him in ER and he’s not doing well. I thought he was going to die. I’m so worried about him. I really blew it by yelling at you, and I’m very sorry”, she apologized again.
After realizing her predicament, I felt even worse about how I had reacted to the woman and her boy with my retorts. “I’m so sorry, also”, I told her again. We talked a while longer and became friends and neighbors over the incident. When I finally left her driveway, I felt I could jog another five miles, driven, not by adrenaline this time, but by amazement and excitement that I had been the recipient of a miracle and a change of heart powered by the Holy Spirit. I wished now I’d had the boldness to tell her what had just happened to me at the church and taken time to pray for her husband, but I allowed shyness and inexperience to win over opportunity.
I received a far greater blessing from spiritual heart conditioning than I did from jogging that evening, and I continue to be amazed at the power of God to bring about a change in both our hearts. Even though that poodle never did come to like me, I could, with Divine help, keep him from getting too excited and chasing after me by breaking my pace and walking instead of running past his place even though it was public property, and I had a right to. . . —ahh, really, did I? Maybe not, if it “offends my neighbor” or their dog.
To God be the glory for turning “Sparks from a Kick” into “Friends from a Portrait”, of Jesus.
This amazing incident took place in Laurelwood, OR.
Larry Duffield
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Bio: My folks definitely had to be God fearing, praying, parents to raise me and they eventually turned me over to my wonderful creator. They started my life in College View, Nebraska where I eventually attended Union College and finished at WWC. Married a wonderful girl I met there, Donna Livingston. We had 4 wonderful kids, then brought 2 more up from Colombia SA to join the adventure. God helped me pay the bills for this ‘fun house’ by leading me in a career of the Offset Printing trade where I labored in the ‘front end’ of the business known as the Photo-mechanical processes. Now days- enjoying gardening, berries, small orchard, and wood cutting a few miles south of Dixie, WA, in foothills of the Blue Mts. and interacting with my large family, occasionally! 19 grandkids, 8 great grandkids, so far! I also enjoy being on the video team for Stateline Advent Media at Stateline SDA Church, Milton Freewater, OR.