Dog Costumes

“Guess what,” my little friend said. “What?” I answered. “My dog’s gonna be dressed up as a hot dog on Halloween… and I’m gonna be a hot dog salesperson.” We sat and talked a little more, about candy, and costumes, and masks and such. I left, thinking to myself, “Since when do stores sell costumes for pets?” I decided to Google this pet costume stuff. Wow! I had no idea folks. In 2 minutes I saw costumes and masks for everything from bulldogs and cats, to horses and cows. I even found a site designed to teach your pet to wear costumes.

 Yet, when we accept our messed up, broken and wounded self, and stop reaching for the cover-up case or smiley mask, we become tender under the healing hand of the Great Physician. We can then contribute to the community of what Henri Nouwen calls, “Wounded Healers.” My friend, Pastor Lisa, read from Exodus 3 in chapel this past week where Moses basically says, “Who am I that I should go and do all this stuff?” God in His infinite wisdom didn’t really answer his question. He simply (and powerfully) said, “I will be with you. That’s a word for all of us who may not like our inadequacies, how we look, how we appear, what we’ve become, or where we’ve been. Who am I? God’s answer…I am with you.  So dress up Bruno and Sparky all you want, but by all means, drop the masks and take up your real place as a child of the King. Greater is He who’s in you than he who’s in the world.