Over the weekend Nadine and I went for a walk.  We have a ritual that either entails walking or biking.  Today we chose to walk.  My responsibility before we started our walk was to make the coffee.  Coffee mugs were taken from the cabinet and Nadine’s  coffee was made first.  She likes 1 teaspoon of sugar, two teaspoons of creme bruelle, and caffeine coffee on top.  I like mine black with either half caffeine, half decaf, or totally decaf.  Once our coffee was ready and the shoes tied, we headed out for our usual 4 mile walk.

We live close to the Native American reservation and so part of our trail runs parallel to their land.  We have much to talk about when we go on our walks.  Events of the week.  Work issues.  Small group discussions with friends.  Recalling family conversations during the week.  You name it, we talk about it. It was about the second mile that we heard a howl.  It was the howl of the coyote on Native American land.  There was another howl followed by a couple of barks.  Within a matter of minutes, domesticated dogs began to respond to the howl.  It first started with all the dogs that had been let outdoors from their homes.  The orchestral sound of dogs infiltrated the homes and dogs in homes began to let out their howls and barks.

It was one dog–coyote–howling and barking.  His howling impacted scores of dogs.  What were they talking about?  What did the coyote want to communicate with its howl and barks?  What did the domesticated dogs want to respond with the initial howling?  Why did so many dogs want to get in on the conversation?  It was all greek to Nadine and myself.  It was as if we were in a foreign country listening to people talking and having no idea  what anyone was saying.  After about 4-5 minutes, the howling of the coyote stopped and so did the responses of the dogs in their respective homes.  The only way to truly know what they were saying to one another would be to become a dog and know dog language.

It reminded me of times early in life where I wanted so desperately to know God and began to read the bible.  It seemed like a foreign language as I read chapter after chapter.  I only got thru Genesis and part of Exodus and closed the book.  It didn’t make sense to me.  Not until I became a Christian by asking Jesus to come into my life.  I made that decision in my second year of college at the University of Northern Colorado.  The bible began to make sense.  I needed to become a child of God in order to understand the words of God.

On this journey, there will be times that are rough and troublesome.  God has the answers to our questions when times get tough.  It only takes a decision to become one of His in order to gain insight and direction for your future.