Peekaboo
Playing Peekaboo with a small child in the grocery checkout line is right up there with one of my favorite things to do. I especially like the babies that throw their heads back and belly laugh when you pop out from beside the aisle or up from behind your cart. Peekaboo is a game that never gets old.
The Lesson In The Game
Though not quite the same, I’ve played a similar game with my dogs. When my dog was a puppy, I would walk to the door and step outside. Hanging my face on the inside of the door, I would say, “I’ll be back!” and close the door behind me. He would immediately start to whimper and cry. I would come back in and say, “I’m back!” and lavish him with rubs and scratches and kisses. I would do this over and over – each time taking more and more time between “leaving” and “coming home.” The lesson was, Just because you don’t see me doesn’t mean I have left you forever.
Dogs, Babies, and The Rest Of Us
Peekaboo and dog training do the same thing – they develop faith. Both the child and the pet learn that they have not been abandoned despite not being able to see their mom or dad. Faith is like that. It must have been nice for the disciples to have Jesus walk among them, but even they struggled with their faith. Dogs don’t ever waver, though. Whether I was gone for three minutes or three months, my dogs always waited expectantly for me to come home. They never gave up hope – they never lost their faith. I want to be like that too.
40-Day Challenge: Day 11 Readings
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance(evidence) about what we do not see.