The magi were trying to find another inn, but Hezekiah started talking to a donkey from the area and would not move.  Stubbornly dug in, the camel wanted to hobnob with this donkey a little longer.  The donkey had some juicy gossip about how he and some others had spent the night in a stable with the baby Jesus and that the King of the Jews had been born.  The wise men were so close to where they wanted to travel, but in all their wisdom, they didn’t know how to speak camel.

Today’s quote::  God often sends us to the zoo, the doghouse, and even the pigsty to learn about ourselves.  David says his enemy is like a lion (Ps. 17:12)  During Absalom’s coup, David and his soldiers are enraged like a bear robbed of her cubs. (2 Sam 17:*)  Israel is like a stubborn heifer (Hos 4:16)  And over and over, God’s people are depicted as sheep: prone to stray, in constant danger from wolflike adversaries, and listening to the voice of their shepherd.  (Luke 10:3, John 10:27)  Tearing lions, angry momma bears, stubborn cows, muddy sows, sure-footed deer, straying sheep, and prowling wolves -in one way or another, these animals are icons of humanity.  As Adam once named them, so now they “name” us.  Zoology becomes anthropology. I often think of this biblical background when I take my dog -or rather, he takes me -for a walk.  (Chad Bird)

Today’s microchallenge: If you have a dog, take him/her for a walk, or rather let him/her take you for a walk. If you don’t have a dog, consider helping out at your local shelter or animal rescue organization.  (Even if you have a dog, consider helping a shelter or rescue organization. They need some help.)