Spiritual Lessons from a Deaf Dog

Peppy and Precious are our two Great Pyrenees puppies. Both puppies are adorable and have brought a lot of joy (and sleep deprived nights) to our family.

We first thought Peppy was so small because he was the runt of the litter, but it soon became apparent he had medical problems. Peppy is a rare dwarf. Because of his condition, he is deaf.

Deaf dogs display a high level of neediness. They compensate for the lack of hearing by having constant physical touch. Peppy has become my baby and stays in my lap much of the day. He loves to cuddle. When Peppy is not in my lap I allow him to keep me in his sight by sitting a little box on the counter as I do laundry or cook.

Adapting Communication

I love this little puppy so much that I am spending a lot of time learning to adapt to his needs. We are reading books about deaf dogs and learning signs. Peppy can’t hear us calling so he does not come and is hard to find. I put a bell on his collar to make it easier to find him (I’m looking into vibrating collars.)

My unique call-to-chow whistle alerts our horses, cats and dogs, but does absolutely nothing for Peppy. I have to wave the dog bowl in the air until I get Peppy’s attention, then I close my fingers and bring them to my mouth to teach Peppy the sign for food.

I am learning to get his attention by thumping the floor so he can hear the vibration.

Seeing the Light

Every night I let little Peppy outside for awhile. When I call him back into the house, he cannot hear me, so I either flicker the porch light or walk around the house with a flashlight signaling until he sees me. Often I find him crying and looking for me.

I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant.
(Psalm 119:176)

As Christians, it’s our responsibility to be alert to our God’s voice. We should be so attuned that we hear it as soon as He speaks. But sin and busyness can cause us to become deaf to God.

Ears to Hear

God is constantly, lovingly talking to us–directing us, guiding us, and teaching us throughout each and every day. To hear Him we must be spiritually alert–we have to keep our spiritual ears open. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. (Mark 4:9).

When we are not spiritually alert God has a number of ways to help us take notice–through His Holy Spirit, through another person, and through the circumstances in our life. He mercifully comes looking for us with His light, leading and guiding us back to Him through conviction.

Sin and Busyness Block Our Hearing

When we harbor sin we are deaf to the Lord’s compassionate voice. For example, we are to forgive those who sin against us. When we harbor unforgiveness we are choosing to be deaf to God’s voice! We are purposely shutting our ears to our Father. By confessing our sins we open our spiritual ears.

Being too busy can also block our ears. Busyness can be the greatest threat to our intimacy with God—the very thing for which we were created. By acknowledging Him, reading His Word and being open to His Spirit we listen to Him.

Communicating with God is a gift. Our hearts must be prepared to receive the seed of the Word or we cannot grow in grace or knowledge (2 Peter 3:18). When we listen to Him and respond, our knowledge of Him moves from head knowledge to knowing Him in our heart, where our spirit meets His Spirit. We need to listen to God’s whisper, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) Then we come face to face with the living Lord who knows us and loves us.

“The music is nothing if the audience is deaf.”

Listening and Obeying

It is not sufficient to hear the Word; one must respond to it in active obedience. The command in James 1:22 is clear, do not merely listen to the Word. . . . do what it says. We must “become,” or “keep on becoming,” a doer of the Word and not just a hearer.

Hearing the Word and knowing it and having it in us are crucial to living a life of holiness and love and power for the purposes of God. Our job is to treasure God’s Word in our heart, so we don’t sin against Him.

Do you want to be holy, producing the fruit of God’s Spirit? Listen—God wants to communicate with you because of His love for you and His desire to give you a hope and a future. Open your spiritual ears. Turn away from ungodliness and worldly pursuits and intimately walk with God.

Oswald Chambers said this about hearing God: “Am I constantly humiliating God by ignoring Him, while He lovingly continues to treat me as His child? Once I finally do hear Him, the humiliation I have heaped on Him returns to me. My response then becomes, “Lord, why was I so insensitive and obstinate?” This is always the result once we hear God. But our real delight in finally hearing Him is tempered with the shame we feel for having taken so long to do so.”

Clara Scott pens a prayer in her hymn Open My Eyes, That I May See: “Open my ears, that I may hear voices of truth Thou sendest clear; and while the wave-notes fall on my ear, ev’rything false will disappear. Silently now I wait for Thee, ready, my God, Thy will to see; open my ears—illumine me, Spirit divine!”

“There is none so deaf he can not hear.” Matthew Henry

UPDATE

Peppy died. You can read about it here. Peppy was here a short time but he was a real blessing. He brought us much joy. He will be greatly missed.