Soon after I got my puppies, I noticed that I had a good puppy (Frodo) and a bad puppy (Pippin). Frodo always did what I wanted and Pippin didn't. After a while of frustration, I stepped back and took a look at what I was doing. Good and bad are moral judgments. Who was imposing moral judgments on puppy behaviour? Me. But the interesting thing is, my definition of right and wrong and the definition in puppydomism are two different things.

It reminded me of the Prodigal Son story. It seems as if the story is in part about moral behaviour. We see the good son to be right and good. But I question that. Who says the good son is good? To me, the Father's actions blew ours as well as the good son's moral ideas to bits, for the Father said no to existing expectations of good and bad behaviours.

I think God asks us to question our own sense of right and wrong. Who says something is wrong -- or right? Society? Friends? Parents? Church? I think we need to take another look at our own beliefs and values, determine where they come from, and examine them so that we'd know which ones really come from Jesus Christ or if they're really ours cloaked in the name of Jesus Christ. This way, we can truly choose and embrace those valued by God.

I've since learned the language of puppydom. And, influences being what they are, I now have two bad puppies.

I wouldn't want it any other way.

Copyright 1997 Debra Bruch