August 2021

George Orwell once said, “The quickest way to end a war is to lose it,” (Polemic, May 1946, “Second Thoughts on James Burnham”).
            Do you ever feel that way about life? With all the things happening to him, even Job said, “My soul is weary of my life,” (10:1). We all experience those feelings. Illness, financial misfortune, family problems—all these things can sometimes seem insurmountable. Then, when you are completely exhausted, both physically and emotionally, the temptation is to end the war by simply surrendering.
            Don’t do it. This war has already been won. All we have to do is finish it--do the mop up work, so to speak.
            The problem too often is that we try to go it alone, refusing to turn our problems over to the Lord. If we insist on that, we have already lost. We are not alone in this fight. We have a Savior who understands everything we are going through and who will share our loads. Look how far you have already come with His help. Yes, you may be tired, and you may well have good reason to be, but be encouraged by your accomplishments through the abundant help you have been given. My grace is sufficient for you, 2 Cor 12:9.
            Let Jesus carry those burdens for you. He has already borne the biggest one, the sin that would have damned you for eternity. Surely He can handle the others, things which may seem huge to you now, but which eternal perspective will prove small. Some days you may feel like you are just plugging along, but that is all right too, so long as you don’t give up.
Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light, Matt 11:28-30.

Dene Ward

We did not know the facts all those years ago. We did not know that if you live in Florida your dog will almost certainly get heartworms if you do not use a preventive medication. And so one morning, our five-year-old mixed breed was running across the field, suddenly stopped and collapsed. He was panting heavily and it was obvious he was near the end. We sat there and petted him and told him what a good dog he had been, and he quietly passed on.

Heartworms are parasitic worms spread through the bite of a mosquito. They lodge in the heart, lungs, and blood vessels of the dog. Some of them (females) can grow to one foot long. When the "worm burden" is high enough, they can actually block blood flow to and from the heart. Symptoms include difficulty breathing, coughing, signs of heart failure, and other organ failure. It can take 5 to 7 years for an infected dog to die, which means that our Ezekiel must have been infected very young.

If you have a dog, you need to know these things. If you take your dog on vacations with you, the percentage of heartworm cases in your own home town no longer matters because you might very well be in a high percentage area for your entire vacation, and it only takes one bite. If you have an "indoor" dog, your dog still is not safe. Mosquitoes can fly in and out every time you open your door, and what about those walks you take him on? If you don't have "those kind" of mosquitoes in your area, just wait for the next big blow coming off the Gulf, one of the highest concentration areas there is, and you might. It has been known to happen. Heartworm cases have been reported in every state in the Union.

Needless to say, all of our pets since Zeke have been given a preventive as early as it is allowed. They are also tested every year to make sure. If you are going to have a dog, in Florida especially, you simply have to do this, or face losing a beloved pet every five years or so. The percentages are too high otherwise.

Sin is like that, but even worse. You may have a tiny chance that your pet will not be infected with heartworms in Florida, but you won't have any chance at all with sin. We are all infected, and it will kill our souls as surely as a badly infected dog will die of heartworms. The problem in our culture today is not taking sin seriously. It is fodder for comics (Flip Wilson's "the Devil made me do it"), something to ridicule in Christians, and an outdated philosophy. "Let go of the guilt," we are told. "There is nothing to feel guilty about." But there most certainly is—the infection rate is 100%, and it doesn't matter where you live. For all have sinned and fall short…" Rom 3:23, and I have yet to find anyone who claims to be perfect, not even an unbeliever.

Many heartworm treatments after infection are dangerous to the dog. They can kill the animal. The treatment for sin is not only 100% effective, but easy to use and has no harmful side effects, unless you count righteousness, hope, and joy as "harmful." All you need to do is pick up your Bible and start reading. Luke's gospel is a good place to start if you want to truly know the Savior, followed by the sequel by the same author, the book of Acts. In that book you will find conversion after conversion. Make a few lists as you read: where they began (Jews who knew the prophets, pagans who knew only their myths and philosophers), things they were told and what they ultimately did to gain salvation. You might be surprised what you don't find listed as well as what you do find listed in every single instance.

Heartworms are deadly serious to dogs. Sin is deadly, and eternally, serious to humans. Get yourself treated as soon as possible.

Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated (Ps 36:1-2).
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water (Heb 10:22).

Dene Ward

Flight Paths

A Weary Soul

Heartworms