"Did You Check The Garage?"

Just getting back from vacation, Monday morning was chaotic to say the least. Staying up late nights by the campfire and fun activities throughout the days produced three tired children not ready to kick into a routine for the week. I wasn’t ready either!! It was time to buckle down with chores, reading, math, eating healthier, brushing teeth (my kids tend to take a vacation from that when they go away!), swim practice, and camp. Somehow we managed to get my daughter to camp by 9:00 AM.

Zachary’s chore on Monday was to clean out the dog crate. I told him to put the dog outside while he cleaned the crate. Our black lab has an electric fence so he can be outside without running away. Busy about my own chores and multi tasking I did not monitor Zach’s progress but did see the end result. A clean crate! I soon realized the dog was no where to be found. I went outside calling for him “Ice” many times but he did not come. Annoying thoughts started racing through my mind thinking this was now going to take the better part of the day to find the dog if he is really lost. I was also wondering how he broke through the electric fence. “ Ah!” I remembered, since we had been away, the electric collar was removed, and my husband probably forgot to put it back on!

Interrupting my attempt to bring order back to the family I gathered the boys in the car to drive around the neighborhood calling for Ice and asking people if they had seen him. I found it embarrassing to basically announce we can’t keep track of our dog! How hard can that be??

After driving all over the neighborhood, down many streets I had never traveled before, screaming Ice’s name, I was headed back home to start making phone calls. Just then Zachary said “Did you check the garage?” Turns out when I asked Zachary to put him “out”, that meant outside OR the garage to him.

I was reminded how often we all experience miscommunications. It never occurred to me to ask Zachary if he really put the dog out because I thought my directions were clear. To Zachary (five years old), that just meant to put the dog somewhere so he could clean his crate. It reminded me that so much of life can be about misunderstandings. I believe God wants us to give others the benefit of the doubt especially when it comes to relationships. “Judge not, lest you be judged” is a verse in Matthew where Jesus teaches about criticizing and seeing the best in others.

May we all be careful in our communication to one another, extending grace and giving the benefit of the doubt.

I was hysterically laughing to realize we were out searching the neighborhood while Ice was safe and sound in the garage!

Happy summer days!

Blessings,

Debbie