When I saw these dogs, I immediately thought of my Granddaughter's dog Hercules. He is hard to forget, not only because he is affectionate, but because he had been abused by a former owner and has some people issues. The good news is that he is getting better and his prospects for a full recovery seem bright. But the picture made me think not only of him, but of families in general. And so I came to the question: What makes a family, anyway? That of course led me to the following passage of Scripture from the book of Ephesians...
Ephesians 5:22-33 (WEB)
22) Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
23) For the husband is the head of the wife, and Christ also is the head of the assembly, being himself the savior of the body.
24) But as the assembly is subject to Christ, so let the wives also be to their own husbands in everything.
25) Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly, and gave himself up for it;
26) that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word,
27) that he might present the assembly to himself gloriously, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
28) Even so husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself.
29) For no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord also does the assembly;
30) because we are members of his body, of his flesh and bones.
31) “For this cause a man will leave his father and mother, and will be joined to his wife. The two will become one flesh.”
32) This mystery is great, but I speak concerning Christ and of the assembly.
33) Nevertheless each of you must also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
Love is the answer. It starts with the husband loving his wife and ends with everyone loving everyone. Love holds families together, so naturally they come to love the same things; in this case... dogs. In case you are wondering, Hercules looks a lot like the dogs in the picture. Humm, maybe someday I will get a dog... I wonder what kind???