Four friendly dogs would greet me at the gate when I went to the job I had in the country. They would kindly check me out as I closed the gate, then after getting back into the van, they would escort me down the driveway to the house where I would be working. Then for the duration of the day, my friends would lay around the general proximity of where I was working, doing what dogs do so well during the day – sleeping.
The job progressed nicely and as I was bent over a five gallon bucket using it as a saw horse making some fine cuts on some trim, I sensed what felt like something nibbling the hair on my head. Chico, the horse, had quietly walked up and bent down to check out this large tuft of white hair that now sits on the top of my head. I looked up into the curious face, just about touching nose to nose, to discover a very sweet natured, friendly horse that no doubt is very much a family pet. Well, no harm was being done, and having looked up to see what was going on, I went right on making my cuts on the trim, never missing a beat. Chico must have really liked my hair, because she just kept on messing with it for a couple of minutes or so, then went on about her business. My brother, Joe, was laughing enjoying the whole show, so he took a picture of the activity to archive in the electronic annals of family history. I will always remember the friendly dogs and Chico the horse who likes to nose around in a big head of hair.
The Word says “a man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). Life is short, and as Jesus said, “sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” (Matt. 6:34). Friendliness is generated from a life of peace and it promotes peace. Since without any effort there is more than enough evil to go around for all on a daily basis, it makes good healthy sense to make the effort to simply be friendly. Truly being friends with God through faith in Jesus Christ allows us to be friends with ourselves, and the peace in this relationship allows us to be friends with others. We each have a choice: to feud and find fault, or to be friendly. Life is too precious to spend it with our pants in a wad magnifying and living from one upsetting situation to another. We can learn our lesson, forgive, forget, and go forward. We can live in a frown or we can live friendly. Chico and the dogs showed that friendly is better for peaceful living.
