We are the Light of the World

     Let me tell you a story...     Quite a while ago, Percy, my much-too-energetic aussiedoodle, escaped the yard at the slightest crack in the gate. He shot off down the driveway and across the street, exploring the neighbors' yards and sniffing everything that wasn't his. I called his name repeatedly, whistled at him, and bribed him with treats, but he ignored me the entire time. The farther he wandered, the more frustrated I got. I knew he could hear me, and I knew that he could find his way home, so why didn't he just listen to my voice and come back into the yard where he would be safe? If he wandered too far off or into the wrong yard, he could be run over, attacked by another dog, or shot. Worry overtook my frustration as I helplessly watched him run from yard to yard down our street.     Then I wondered, "Is this how God feels when I don't run to him for refuge?"     At times in my life, I admit that I have put some distance between ...