Eclipse likes to ride the D line bus. D for “dog.” Well, not really, but don’t tell her that. You see, Eclipse is a Labrador that commutes from her house to the dog park…by herself!
It all started when her owner, Jeff Young, was distracted at the bus stop, finishing a conversation. He realized that his dog had gotten on the bus without him! Now, two years later, Eclipse doesn’t wait on him at all. She regularly boards the bus on her own and gets off four stops later at the dog park, delighting Seattle passengers along the way.
What I like about this story is that the dog didn’t wait to get where she needed to go. Often times, Jeff Young will get calls from people saying things like, “’Hi. I have your dog Eclipse here on 3rd and Bell.” Young tells them, “She’s fine.’ She knows what she’s doing.”
She knows what she’s doing? Wouldn’t it be nice if it were that simple for humans? Animals have instincts, and animals learn behavioral patterns well. Eclipse knows: hop on bus, sit in seat, look for doggie park.
But what about us? Do you know where you need to go, and do you know how simple it is to get there?
In John 14, Jesus told His disciples that He was going to prepare a place for them, and they knew the way to get there. But the disciples weren’t so sure. In verse 5, Thomas asked Him, “How do we know the way?” Jesus reminded them that the way was simple: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (6). And they wanted to see the Father (8). So in verse 9, Jesus admonished: “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.”
In other words, Jesus had told them the way to salvation, He showed them the way, and He reminded them that they had seen it in Him several times. And yet, they still didn’t get it! It wasn’t until after His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension that it would be clear what He was trying to teach them: there is only one way to eternal life with God in Heaven – His Son Jesus, who was God in the flesh.
Eclipse delights passengers because it is a rare thing for a dog to get on a bus and ride to the dog park on her own. That is why it is a news story – it doesn’t happen very often. But as nice a story as it is, it is simply a dog wanting to go to the park…something every dog wants to do!
Sadly, it is a rare thing for people to follow the clear signs that lead to heaven. Something every person should want to do! Jesus told us it would be that way: “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).
Are you looking for the way to heaven? “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7).
