the chief end ... lessons from a boarder collie

This weekend we went to the Rhode Island Highland Festival. Along with big men wearing kilts and throwing heavy things, bagpipers, and musicians, there was a demonstration of sheep herding by boarder collies. The trainers take the herding instincts of the dogs and extend them so that the dogs are happiest when they are bringing the sheep to the shepherd and miserable when they don't have sheep to corral. Anyone who has spent time with a boarder collie knows that they really want to heard something! They will heard sheep, cows or children -- whichever is available.

This is a dog that knows what it was born to do. This dog is happy only when it is doing just that. The dog thrives on it's master's approval and is quite content with its place in the pack. As I watched the dog working the sheep, I could not help but remember the words of the Westminster Shorter Catechism -- "What is the chief end of man? Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever." For generations, children grew up memorizing these words and building them into their view of the the world.

I love the directness of the question and the comprehensiveness of its simple answer. We are here to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. If we had some of the persistence of these boarder collies who know what their purpose and pleasure is, we would find this world a far, far better place. The message from God's Word is also so plain and uncomplicated -- "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts." Deuteronomy 6:4-6.


Keep the faith

living in the shadow ...

On Memorial Day we went to visit Fort Adams in Newport. It sits on a piece of land that commands the approaches to Newport harbor which explains why a young nation built it in the early 1800's. Fort Adams never fired any of its cannons in anger, but was one of the nation's largest coastal forts.

This picture was taken from one of its walls that looks out over the Mount Hope bridge. You will notice that the lighthouse on Rose Island appears to be set in the shadow of the bridge and almost seems out of place. But the lighthouse (built in 1869) was there long before the bridge, and it still stands. For over 100 years, it was home to the lighthouse keepers and their families.

It would be easy to look at the size of the Mount Hope Bridge and believe that it was the "big deal" here. However, life is lived out in smaller pieces and in smaller places. The fact that the lighthouse is still standing some 140 years later and is a neat place to spend a summer's day should remind us that being faithful in the task set before us has its own grandeur.

Marriage has a quality like that -- building a home that stands strong, shelters its children, is a refuge from the storms and a lighthouse to the community counts for so much more than how grand the house is. Knowing what you are all about and faithfully doing it has a beauty all of its own. It's all about foundations and commitment.

Jesus told us about the value of strong foundations and following the path of wisdom ... "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock." (Matthew 7:23-25)


Keep the faith!