I love my dog. You would too, if you knew Lucy. She is a nine-month old Cairn terrier with a zest for life. If you're wondering what a Cairn terrier looks like just think of Toto from the Wizard of Oz, the most famous Cairn of all time. (Toto was actually a female Cairn named Terry. She had to play a male in the movie, but they paid her well for it: $125 per week – a small fortune in 1939.)
I was tossing Lucy her favorite toy the other day when I had a thought: how frivolous it was to waste 30 minutes playing with a dog. There are so many important things to do in this world, and I certainly could have made a list of ten more productive ways to spend my time. What would I say when God asked me to give an account of how I spent that particular block of time?
I know how John Wesley would have felt about my frivolous dog-time. Wesley is one of my heroes. I try to read as many books about his life as I can. I visited his home in London last year and stood in the special prayer closet he had built to meet with God at four every morning. I stood behind his pulpit and tried to get a special Wesley anointing. I bombarded the tour guide with questions concerning all things Wesley. (See my pictures at Wesley’s house under Pictures / Christian History Tour of England.)
I love Wesley; his life inspires me. But I doubt if Wesley ever played with a dog in his entire adult life. (He may not have played with one in his childhood either 
– Samuel and Susanna were strict parents.) He once wrote to his mother after starting university at Oxford, “Leisure and I have parted company.” Anyone familiar with his life knows they never met again – leisure and Wesley, that is.
However, as much as I respect Wesley, I think he would have been a more effective minister if he had played with a dog on occasion. Especially if he could have known Lucy!
Wesley had a strong sense of duty; I do not know of anyone who worked harder to make every moment of his life count. But he was not always the easiest man to live with. His own wife left him after five years of a difficult marriage. They never spoke again. When she died, Wesley did not even know it until four days later.
So how can I justify wasting 30 minutes with a dog when there is so much to do?
A bigger question might be how do I balance duty with pleasure? Or can I even justify pleasure at all? Maybe I too should part company with leisure, focus on my duty, and postpone all pleasure until heaven? Is life meant only for duty, or is pleasure a part of God’s plan also?
The Shorter Westminster Catechism has an answer to these questions. The first question in the catechism is “What is the chief end of man?” The answer is “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.”
John Piper, in his intriguing book Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist, changes the catechism around a bit with this restatement: Man’s chief end is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever. In other words, Piper suggests, it is enjoying God that gives Him glory. A fascinating thought, but is it biblical?
Let us consult the psalmist David. If anyone has anything to say about this topic it will be him.
“The children of men feast on the abundance of Your house; You give them drink from Your river of delights. For with You is the fountain of life.” (Psalms 36:7-9)
Sounds like a lot of fun: feasting, drinking, and frolicking in a fountain. Let the party begin! David also says,
“The land You have given me is a pleasant land. What a wonderful inheritance! No wonder my heart is filled with joy, and my mouth shouts Your praises! You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of Your presence and the pleasures of living with You forever.” (Psalms 16:6, 9, 11)
Another party! Only this one never ends.
But perhaps Jesus said it best:
“The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.” (John 10:10)
Maybe C.S. Lewis explained the balance between duty and happiness best when he said, “It is a Christian duty for everyone to be as happy as they can.” [i]
C.S. Lewis would have loved Lucy.
