The DOG and the LEOPARD

Ron Bainbridge

Today’s Message of Encouragement from Discovering A BETTER LIFE MINISTRIES

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(Ron Bainbridge Editor) (January 6th, 2020)

The DOG and the LEOPARD

Friend, some years ago I read about a wealthy man who decided to go on a safari in Africa. He took his faithful pet dog along for company. One day the dog starts chasing butterflies, and before long he discovers he is lost. So wandering about he notices a leopard rushing in his direction with the obvious intention of having a dog for lunch.

The dog thinks, “Boy, I’m in deep trouble now!” Then he noticed some bones on the ground close by, and immediately settled down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat. Then, just as the leopard is about to leap, the dog exclaims loudly, “Man, that was one delicious leopard, I wonder if there are any more around here?” Hearing this, the leopard halts his attack in mid stride, and a look of terror comes over him, as slinks away into the trees.

“Whew!” says the leopard, “That was close. That dog nearly had me!”

Meanwhile, a monkey who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the leopard. So off he goes. But the dog saw him heading after the leopard with great speed, and figured that something must be up. The monkey soon catches up with the leopard, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the leopard.

The leopard is furious at being made a fool of and says, “Here monkey, hop on my back and see what’s going to happen to that conniving canine.”

When the dog saw the leopard coming toward him with the monkey on its back, he thought to himself, “What am I going to do now?” But instead of running, the dog sat down with his back to his attackers pretending he hasn’t seen them yet. And just when they got close enough to hear, the dog says, “Where’s that monkey. I can never trust him. I sent him off half an hour ago to bring me another leopard, and he’s still not back!!”

I hope you recognize in this story something more than just a dumb joke. You see, this parable, or fable, points to a number of human attitudes and behaviours that tend to get us into trouble.

Notice the monkey. He is quiet. He sits on the sidelines and watches the other players. He mulls over in his mind how he can control these other players.

Friend, do you tell lies? Deceive others? Or, tell the truth, but in such a way that you gain advantage over another? Such behaviour is more than dishonourable or reprehensible. It is downright ungodly. The apostle Paul gives warning in the Bible against those who go about from house to house, spreading gossip and mischief. He calls them busybodies. He isn’t complimentary of their behaviour. In fact, he says that such people are following the devil (1 Timothy 5:13-15).

Be careful how you go monkeying around in someone else’s life. You can very easily undermine trust, hurt people, and permanently damage relationships. Jesus counsels SERVING others rather than CONTROLLING them. Serving is hard work, but it certainly keeps the monkey off your back. What’s more important, it may keep you from being the monkey on someone else’s.

If you would like a FREE copy of a small booklet to trigger your thinking about the power of your words, I invite you to write to Discovering A BETTER LIFE and ask for “What You Say Is Powerful”. Our address is: P.O. Box 1540, Albany, Western Australia 6331. Phone: 98 418 418. Email: abl-alb@omninet.net.au