It was something the dog dragged in, a black amorphous blob on the sofa between his white fluffy paws. Ugh, I thought, and picked it up to throw it away. Insert blood curdling scream. It wasn't yard gook as I had originally thought. It was a DEAD FROG! And I touched it. More screaming.
The frog bore little resemblance to it's former self. The hot June sun had mummified it into a large, black potato chip that crumbled as Lambo chewed on it. "No, no, NO ... bad dog, bad dog!" Still screaming. The dog looked at me genuinely confused. (See how clean and innocent he looks in the picture?)
After washing my hands 4,371 times and donning rubber gloves, an apron, and a surgical mask to separate me as far as possible from said frog, I began to clean up the sofa, and the dog. (OK, I'm kidding about the apron and the mask, but it was tempting.)
Calmer now, I tried to reason with Lambo. "I know that dogs think dead frogs are fine-dining, but people are different. We don't allow dead frogs in the house," I explained as I picked a tiny sea-urchin-like foot out of his fur.
Ironically, a Scripture came to mind. I wax theological in times of duress. It was Proverbs 14:12: "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death."
Just like my dog, I sometimes enjoy things that repel God. It's called sin. I may nibble on a little morsel of gossip, but God is horrified (Proverbs 18:8). He won't allow gossip in his house, or stealing, or fornication, or gluttony.
It's because He is different than we are (Isaiah 55:8). He is holy, and he separates himself from our sin like I separated myself from the frog corpse. He also wastes no time in cleaning up our lives.
So next time you're tempted to indulge in something that God calls sin, remember the frog.
Blessings,
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