Friends recently lost their old dog, so I’ve been reminiscing about our Sampras – so called after the Wimbledon tennis star of 1995. Sampras loved balls, sticks and anything that moved. Our children who were 11 and 14 at the time had pleaded for a dog for years. Thinking it would help them transition from Istanbul to their new home in Glasgow, we finally gave in!
One summer afternoon I was walking Sampras in the local park. There in the middle of the pond a duck and two ducklings were drifting in the sunshine aboard a flat piece of wood. Into this tranquil scene our big black dog plunged, splashing his way towards them. I called repeatedly, but he continued his chase, capsizing the board. While the panicked ducks swam away, Sampras splashed after them, enjoying this exciting game.
I was identifying with the mother duck – once safe, together with my children, somewhat protected from the worldly pressures that were now turning our lives upside down. I knew I hadn’t prepared my young teenagers well enough for life in the UK. My sense of failure and helplessness was acute as I struggled to get Sampras’ attention.
Then, from the corner of my eye, I saw a figure close by. A tall, stately, grey heron was silently watching. He opened his wings wide and glided serenely across the pond skimming over our dog’s head. Sampras immediately left the water and with a good shake, padded meekly to my side. God was speaking to me. He was beside me. He understood, knew the end from the beginning, was in total control, and could bring peace in an instant.
I had felt like the frightened mother duck, but in fact the heron proved a greater danger to the mother duck’s offspring than our dog. I, too, can suffer from misplaced anxieties. The prophet Isaiah reminds us that God is a sanctuary, a safe place for those who fear him (Isaiah 8:14). Turning my eyes upon Jesus really does bring peace within and can save me from being like Sampras, deaf to my Master’s voice, my eyes focused in the wrong direction.
I lift up my eyes to you, to you who sit enthroned in heaven. As the eyes of servant looks to the hand of his master, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he shows us his mercy. Psalm 123:1-2
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