Grab that dog by the ears!

He who meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.
Proverbs 26:17

With basset hounds as the dogs of choice around our house, this verse looses some of it’s “umph.” A basset not only doesn’t care if you grab them by the ears, I think they may actually enjoy it. Our oldest basset, Samuel, has ears almost long enough to vie for the world record. Each ear is about a foot long. Of course, they are mostly designed to drag along the ground and funnel smell into his nose and not to enhance his hearing or listening abilities.

But, I digress. For purposes of today’s scripture, we will assume the dog in question is not a basset and that taking one by his ears will result in the loss of your hand or other significant injury. Perhaps the writer of this proverb was speaking from experience.

So it is when you intervene in an argument where you have no business. For example, as a grandmother, I never intervene when my daughter and granddaughter are engaging. (One reason is not my great wisdom so much as the fact that having raised the daughter, watching her with her daughter is a great spectator sport.) Likewise, disagreements between couples when your advice has not been requested are a “don’t go there” situation. That dog will always come back to bite you. If you sincerely care about someone, do not allow them to dump on someone they care about to you. Generally, God will give them the grace to overcome the circumstances, but you may yourself holding a grudge because that grace has not extended to you.

But, the flip side of this issue is not that people are meddling in quarrels not their own as much as people are failing to engage in the battles they should be in. There are quarrels going on in our society today about key core values that many are failing to engage in. What is the definition of marriage? Does it matter if that definition changes? Who is responsible for the education and upbringing of children? Is it parents? Is it the “village?” If it is the village, who is responsible to pick up the pieces when the village idiots fail? Why is killing unborn babies ever acceptable or legal? How much is too much on the tax rate?

I will never forget the first time I “grabbed the dog by the ears” on a public policy issue. I was not involved in politics or policy at the time. I was just a mom and I took exception to the school district refusing to let me see a copy of a test my children were taken. Once I got a hold of that dog, I refused to turn loose. It resulted in my serving on a local school board, working on the re-write of the Texas Education Code and being launched on the path where I walk today.

Along the way that dog chewed on me quite a bit. But, it is always better to be bitten for something you are supposed to do than for something you weren’t supposed to do. And, I would far rather sport the scars of those battles than suffer the consequences of refusing to battle.

So, go get caught up on your shots and grab some dogs by the ears!

Lord, give us wisdom in choosing our battles. Give us the courage of our convictions.