To our surprise, Toto was in a photo of our Easter Dinner—crouching beneath the table.

Who is Toto? Our dog!

Why is he called Toto? Because his previous owner was going to take him to the pound.

We had to rescue him just like Dorothy saved Toto from the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz. And so, we changed his name from “Cocoa” to “Toto”.

Toto was the first dog I ever owned. He lived with us for more than a year before moving in with our son in New Hampshire.

Since I never had a dog, I hadn’t fully grasped the illustration used by the woman who begged Jesus to bless non-Jews. (Matthew 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-30).

A Cannanite woman brought her daughter to Jesus for healing. Her daughter “was demon-possessed and suffering terribly.” (Matthew 15:22).

Jesus challenged her to explain why he should heal someone who was not Jewish. She replied that even dogs are fed crumbs that fall from the table. (Matthew 15:27; Mark 7:28).

Jesus said: “Woman, you have great faith. Your request is granted.” (Matthew 15:28). “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”(Mark 7:28).

When the woman went home, she “found her child lying on the bed, and the demon was gone.” (Mark 7:30).

Due to the Pandemic, I hadn’t seen Toto for months prior to Easter. So I was vividly reminded of this story when he begged for food every time someone was eating.

Toto is a mix of several breeds. Some might call him a mutt! So he’s a good “representative” for ALL dogs.

When Toto is begging for food and anyone looks into his dark, pleading eyes, no one can resist him—especially me!

Indeed, my son and my wife warn me not to give in to his begging too often, lest he get fat.

Fortunately, we can never get fat on the food that Jesus gives us—every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. (Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4).

Because we can never get too much of the food and drink that Jesus gives us—every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.  (John 6:53-56).

We can never get too much of the food and drink that Jesus gives us—the Easter Food that saves us from the “Wicked Witches” in our lives.

We can never get too much of the food and drink that Jesus gives us, empowering us to:

     —bless ALL people;

     —challenge ALL pharaohs to let ALL people be free; and

     —heal ALL hurting people!

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To read about another one of our pets—our cat Bootsey—please read my blog “The Star of Bethlehem Was a ‘Can of Tuna Fish’”.

For my thoughts based on insights sparked by my grandson, please read my blogs “Honoring God with Only Our Lips”, “What Makes a Hero Good?”, “Sprouting Seeds Takes Patience”, and “Video Game Strategy: Getting ‘Crucified’”.