Click-clack-click-clack. Then sudden silence. The girl’s heart skipped a beat once she realized her dog’s paws were no longer walking on the safe path of the sidewalk but were now padding softly through the brush of the nearby forest. ‘Oh no,’ she thought, ‘I should have never let him off leash!’
Too late now! Chipper was in a full-on sprint with his nose to the ground. The recognizable high-pitched howl came next, and the girl knew her beagle was on a scent trail, which meant he was in a world of his own.
“Come back, Chipper,” the little girl shouted, hoping she would snap him out of the trance of the hunt. It was no use, though. Chipper was drawn in by the alluring smell of a nearby forest critter.
Chipper ran deeper and deeper into the forest. He did not even realize that the branches were scratching his legs and cheeks. He was focused on one thing and one thing only: that smell that he was certain now was a bunny!
Without thinking, the little girl ran after her dog into the forest. Through the tall grass, around countless trees, and even crawling through a few bushes, the little girl was determined to find Chipper. She loved her dog and would not go home without him.
That’s when she saw a little white tail peeking up from out of the tall grass ahead! “Chipper! Chipper! Chipper, it’s me! Stop! Come here, Chipper, it’s me!”
The tail disappeared into the grass, and a little wet nose stuck up in its place. A wide smile replaced the furrowed brows of the little girl as she ran towards her pup. As soon as Chipper saw the little girl running toward him, his tail began to wag, and he leaped over the tall grass towards her.
“I love you! I love you!” the little girl whispered as she wrapped her arms around Chipper.
The Good News is just as the little girl never gave up on finding her pup, God will always shout our name and come running when we wander off, too.
“‘Return to me, and I will return to you,’ says the Lord.” (Malachi 3:7)
With lots of faith and a little fur 🐾
Melanie Drews
Paws on God’s Path
Paws on God's Path 
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