Notorious Nose

On By Beth AlisanIn Uncategorized

Our black Labrador’s first outdoor excursion of the day always involves casing our property with her nose.  I wish she could give me a bulletin of all the animals that have passed through during the night. Fox, bear, skunk, cat, rabbit, deer, racoon, dog. . .   Adi’s nose is her tool for understanding the world. 

With training, Adi’s nose has benefitted our family.  When our cat, who is the master of hiding, cannot be found by human eye,  Adi’s nose is called to action.  Her rapid discovery of our well hidden kitty ensures Reeses doesn’t accidentally get shut up in a room or closet.  The group of children who has Adi on their team for a game of hide and seek is guaranteed the win.  When hiking, Adi’s nose usually points out crawling critters or the skeletal remains of a woodland animal lending itself to unforgettable science lessons.

“Peek a Boo my nose found you”
“My nose says you are more than a rock”

Without a doubt Adi’s nose knowledge is a wonderful gift.  However, her nose is notorious for getting her in trouble.  There are times when that tantalizing smell takes her off our path and into someone’s yard, deeper into the woods or further out into the field.  A firm command is needed to get her back on track.  There are times though when she is so consumed by the smell, she’ll ignore my call.  In which case, a jerk of the leash or beep of the e-collar is employed to recapture her attention.

Adi’s nose has gotten me chewing on the question- What things in my life are worthy pursuits but are such that I can become so engrossed in them that my eyes and ears are no longer attentive to where the Lord is moving?

Post Script:

Dear Reader,

My lessons usually conclude with a scripture.  This time I’m inviting you to participate in this post by sharing a scripture verse that this lesson brings to mind.  As you share, I will update this post to reflect those scriptures. Thank you for reading and for your contribution.

Sincerely, Beth Alisan

Reader Contributions

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

Isaiah 30:21 (from David’s Daily Dose)

Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.

Proverbs 4: 25-27 (from Pens and Journals)

Search me, God, and know my heart;  test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139:  23-24 (From Glen)

 For this reason we must pay attention all the more to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away.

Hebrews 2:1  (From God’s Ways are . . . Different)

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.  He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Psalm 23: 1-3 (From Devotional Treasures)

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

Romans 5:3-5 NLT (From The Berry Bunch)

The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out

Proverbs 18:15 (From The Inside Out)

Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, For I delight in it.

Psalm 119:35 (From Quietly Roaring)

Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways.

Proverbs 20:30, GNT (From Mussings of Manette Kay)

Be still and know that I am God.

Psalm 46:10 (From Reflection From an Open Window)

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

Proverbs 4:23 (From Praise 2 Worship)

You enlarged my path under me,
So my feet did not slip

Psalm 18:36, NIV (From I Love the Psalms)

“We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16‬:‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬ (From The Devotional Guy)

By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.

Proverbs 24:3-4 (From 54 Portions- Soul Talk)

© 2019-2023, Lessons from a Lab, Beth Alisan.  All Rights Reserved.

37 thoughts on “Notorious Nose”

    1. Thank you Pastor Pete! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed and been enriched by the different scripture contributions and hearing what portions of the lesson led that verse to pop to mind like you have done here.

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  5. Psalm 46:10 came to me: “Be still and know that I am God.” Sometimes, when so much is going on, we get distracted and have to stop in our tracks. Being still, allows us to focus, to listen to God’s direction in the midst of our busy lives.

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  6. I’m handwriting the book of Proverbs, and Adi’s reprimand by the jerk of the leash or beep of the e-collar brought to mind a verse I’ve been chewing on all week. “Lashes and wounds purge away evil, and beatings cleanse the innermost parts” (Proverbs 20:30, CSB). The phrase “wounds purge away evil” grabbed my attention when writing it.

    Beth, your loving care of Adi puts what “feels” like an awful harsh verse into a proper context. This verse sounds severe in most versions, but the following two highlight God’s graciousness:
    “Punishment that hurts chases evil from the heart” (Proverbs 20:30, TLB).
    “Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways” (Proverbs 20:30, GNT),

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    1. Wow Manette, this is an incredible contribution. There has been many a Proverbs I’ve read wished it came with a visual. I’m so glad this lesson gave you one for Proverbs 20:30. As soon as I read the verse in CSB version I could completely see and fully comprehend the application. Thank you for submitting several different translations. I decided to share the GNT version as that translation is one of my Dad’s favorites, and I can still remember when he bought and gave my oldest daughter her own Good News copy. She was in 4th grade and reading through the New Testament for a club at church.

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  9. That Adi is one smart dog! Not only can he find the cat, the hiders, and who-knows-what-all in his excursions, but he teaches us valuable lessons! Another possible verse for your list: “The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out” (Proverbs 18:15).

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  11. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
    Romans 5:3‭-‬5 NLT

    Great post Beth 🙂

    Andy B

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    1. Her kitty finding abilities are pretty impressive. More than once she’s pointed out Reeses’ location and when I looked I couldn’t find her. So I sent Adi searching again only for her to return to the same spot. Turns out Adi’s nose is never wrong; I just hadn’t dug deep enough under the bed or into the closet to uncover our golden eyed feline’s cozy spot. Several time Reeses has taken advantage of a a cracked door to slip out of the house and we’ve used Adi to find her outdoor whereabouts. In those cases, I feel like Adi’s on a rescue mission. Maybe every cat needs a trusty Labrador.

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  13. Your Adi story as always was beautiful, and I love the new challenge in the post. My mind is still thinking of lost/wandering sheep of His flock, your words reminded me of these:
    The Lord is my shepherd,
    I shall not want.
    2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
    He leads me beside quiet waters.
    3 He restores my soul;
    He guides me in the paths of righteousness
    For His name’s sake.
    The interesting part being “the paths of righteousness” which are literally “tracks.” Adi follows interesting track scents, but we humans are attracted to sin scents which lead us off track easily, if we are not following our Shepherd closely.
    God bless you, Adi and your family today sister 🙏

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    1. Thank you so much Alan for both the scripture and the powerful connection you have made between the lesson and Psalms 23. I’ve linked your scripture contribution to your treasure titled “Lost Sheep.”

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  14. I often fish without an anchor and drift off the fishing area without realizing it. I often think of this verse as I am prone to wander… “For this reason we must pay attention all the more to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away.” Hebrews 2:1

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    1. As the daughter of a fisherman, I fully appreciate the application of this verse Gary. You’ve brought back memories of being caught up (no pun intended;) in what is going on with the lines only to look up and see that we’ve drifted further than we thought. It was a big deal when my oldest was finally strong enough to lower and pull up the the anchor.

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  15. Glen Buckwalter

    Psalms 139:23 & 24 come to mind. These verses ask God to search my heart— and see if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. My prayer today. Thanks for the challenge.

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  16. “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Isaiah 30:21 (NIV)

    Beth, your post about Adi’s nose reminds me that one’s greatest strength is often also their greatest weakness.

    There are plenty of tantalizing distractions out there–good stuff, perhaps, but not the best for godliness. Thank you for the heads up. God Bless! 🐕‍🦺🦮

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  17. Nancy

    Thought provoking post, Beth. My thoughts turned to: Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.
    Proverbs 4: 25-27

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