If you are a dog owner, I am sure you know how dogs love to stand right where you are working. Kim and I were at our son and daughter-in-law’s house digging up a rock area to plant grass. We wheelbarrowed out a large amount of decorative rock and then dug out the weed barrier underneath. The next step was to till the dirt and get it ready for planting. Both Cali and Kirby were determined to help. They were anxious to see what we were doing and thought it beneficial to put their noses right in our worksite. After a while, their curiosity got annoying. However, I gave them some attention and soon they were off playing together again. I wonder whether Jesus’ disciples felt irritated with so many crowds around them. Matthew 14:15-16 states, “When it was evening, the disciples came to Him and said, ‘This place is desolate and the hour is already late; so send the crowds away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat’” (NAS). Just when the disciples felt they deserved a good rest, Jesus told them to feed the people. I am sure they felt tired, ill-tempered, and possibly angry. Jesus states in John 13:34, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (NAS). This kind of love does not necessarily mean an emotional love but one out of goodwill.1 It is an action rather than and inward feeling. Next time you feel annoyed by someone’s behavior, stop, give them some extra attention and perhaps all will be well in your yard of life.
[1] Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study New Testament-King James Version, (World Bible Publisher, Inc., 1991), 355.; Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary-New Testament, (Chattanooga, AMG Publishers, 1992), 65.
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