A boy, a dog and a new view
Owen Howkins and his dog, Haatchi, have inspired millions with their friendship. They can even point us to spiritual truths.
I know you’ve got a lot on your plate, so this week we’ll keep it simple. I just want you to think about a couple of questions:
1) What do you REALLY want?
2) Why do you REALLY want it?
Whether we realize it or not, we’re building our lives around those questions. They inspire everything we pursue, and every decision we make.
Simple, yet a complicated to the point of chaos.
That’s because we’re all broken pieces. We live in a broken, fallen world and we’re all broken and incomplete in some way. We’re never quite sure where we fit in, how we stand out, or where we have value.
If you joined us last week, I introduced you to a gentlemen named Nick Vujicic. Nick was born without limbs.
What did Nick pray for during his early years? Arms and legs, of course.
Did God give him arms and legs? No, he did not.
Do you recall what God did for him instead?
He changed his thinking … Romans 12:2 + Psalm 37:4
He made him new on the inside … 2 Corinthians 5:17
So here’s the conclusion we reached:
God loves to take broken pieces and make them his masterpieces.
But not by fixing them. Instead, he makes them NEW.
So at the exact moment we become a Christian, we become a NEW CREATION. You may look EXACTLY the same in the mirror, but there’s no doubt you have been made NEW.
You now have a new engine that drives your choices and decisions: It’s called the Holy Spirit, and here’s what others experience as it flows through us:
Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
and Self-Control
And THAT, friends, becomes what we REALLY want to do. No matter where we are, who we’re with or what we’re doing, our new desire is to EXPRESS those qualities.
And when we do, others may still SEE us on the outside, but they will experience God flowing through us.
Here’s a quote that stopped me in my tracks the other day:
“Focus on the things that feed your spirit, not your ego.”
If we’re honest, how much time do we spend each day doing that? Probably not a lot.
That’s no surprise to God. Because he already knows it’s not easy to spend a lot of time in his Word, out of love he sends people into our lives who are dealing with some of the same stuff we wrestle with. It often looks like this:
That’s why we’re all reading together today. We realize we’re all broken pieces in search of something more. And it’s so much more powerful when we can do it together.
So our friends help us in three wonderful ways:
They remind us we’re not alone
They inspire us to focus on what we REALLY want
They point us to something bigger than ourselves.
The truth is, if each day has 24 hours, we spend more than 23 of those hours outside of God’s Word.
So today, I encourage you to look for God in other places.
If you’re on a team or in a workplace, think about how it’s like the Body of Christ.
If you’re on a hike in nature, think about how God spoke all that beauty into existence
If you’re watching a movie, think about how the gospel story weaves through it. (Spoiler alert: It ALWAYS does.)
To bring the point home in an inspiring way, I invite you to join me on a trip to England to meet an unlikely pair of best friends.
At first glance, you may think you’re looking at a couple of broken pieces. But if you’re willing to look for spiritual truth in this video, I promise you’ll experience something entirely different.
Please take a few moments to watch and then we’ll discuss afterward.
It’s OK. I cried a little, too.
So much beauty in their relationship. So much joy in the midst of pain. So much that we can learn from their story.
As I watched Owen and Haatchi, God reminded me of a few Bible verses he wanted me to share with you today:
“And we know that in all things God works
for the good of those who love him, who have
been called according to his purpose.” — Romans 8:28
The Story: Haatchi wasn’t even a year old when he was deliberately tied to a railway line in North London and was struck by a train. His tail was severed and his rear left leg was severely injured. Haatchi managed to stagger away from the train tracks and hide for five days before finally being rescued. Because of the injuries, both his tail and his leg had to be amputated.
The Lesson: God loves to work through people like you and me. So does Satan. That means people can often be cruel. People will sometimes hurt you. It’s how you respond to the pain that will dictate the trajectory of your life. When you think about it, this should have been a case where Haatchi was put down. Instead, he’s become the best friend and an inspiration to a boy who needed exactly what he could provide.
Your question: Like Haatchi, what misery from your past will become your ministry to help others?
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power
is made perfect in weakness.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9
Because of his condition, Owen’s muscles are constantly contracting, which makes it nearly impossible for him to keep his balance. Think of a bodybuilder flexing, then remaining in that pose as he goes about his day. That’s life for Owen. As you might expect, Haatchi’s missing leg makes it extremely difficult for him to maneuver as well.
The Lesson: What is your weakness? I’ve got asthma and some pretty severe back pain. You may have diabetes or another illness. Maybe your weakness is fear, or depression. None of us is perfect. None of us gets through this life without struggling. Yet we can live with great value and worth and influence if we just remember that it’s not OUR power we rely on. If you are a follower of Christ, you have a greater power working through you. Rest in that gift.
Your question: When I feel defeated, whose strength am I really relying on?
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses …” — Hebrews 4:15
What happened when they first met? Haatchi put his head on Owen’s lap. I love what Owen said about the experience: “It’s like me understanding what happened to Haatchi. And him understanding what’s happened to me.”
The lesson: We have a friend who wants a relationship with us. And this friend can understand all we are dealing with because he experienced every human emotion we will. Therefore, he can bring comfort. He can bring peace. He can walk with us through the difficult days.
Your question: What if there were someone you could talk to who knew EVERYTHING about you … yet still wanted to be your friend. How would that help you?
“For you died to this life, and your real
life is hidden with Christ in God.” — Colossians 3:3
You are loved by God. So am I. That fact is incredibly hard to believe, especially if you come from a difficult home life. But once it sinks in — and we must keep reminding ourselves daily to truly believe it — EVERYTHING changes.
Owen used to be afraid to ride in his wheelchair. He hated the fact that people would stare, point and make fun of him.
How did that make him feel?
“Alone,” he said.
But then Haatchi came along and then who did people start to look at? Yes, him.
The Lesson: If you are a follower of Christ, you’re a lot like Owen — you have a friend who sticks closer than a brother. You are now hidden in Christ. When your Heavenly Father looks down on you, he doesn’t see your imperfections — he sees the perfection of your Savior. All shame, guilt and fear are now hidden.
Your question: What is hidden needs to be expressed to be experienced. What are some ways you can do that?
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created
us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things
he planned for us long ago.” — Ephesians 2:10
The Story: Despite their struggles and disabilities, Owen and Haatchi are winning dog show after dog show together. No, it’s not the Super Bowl, or the Grammys, or the Pulitzer — but it’s EXACTLY where they are supposed to be. They have been gifted to excel in their own special ways. Just like you and me.
The Lesson: You are not an accident. You are not a mistake. You’ve got a special role to play, and you’ve been made uniquely for that purpose. So bloom where you are planted until you’re called to move on.
So as we just saw, we’re all broken pieces by the world’s standards. But when we’re made new on the inside — and begin to express it outwardly — we are so much more.
You were created for God’s glory … (Exactly the way you are.)
You were rescued to declare his glory … (No matter how we feel.)
That’s often easy to forget in this world we live in. But if we look hard enough, through the right lens, we can see it everywhere — even through a little boy and his dog.
And here’s something else we can understand through the lens of scripture:
You are not WHAT the world SEES.
We are WHO the world EXPERIENCES as the Fruit of the Spirit flows through you.
And when we forget to see things through that filter, sometimes it just takes a friend to remind us.
I’m so glad I just did.
(Tim Kolodziej is the author of this piece and founder of EnspireU.com. When he’s not behind a laptop, he can be found inside a gym helping young athletes create their own unique future — one rep at a time. Click here to connect with him by email.)