Am I my brother's keeper?

Yesterday afternoon, Cap-tain, my German Shepherd, laid his head in my lap. Actually, he wanted me to feed him, but as I petted him, I noticed he was not wearing his Invisible Fence collar which signals him when he is near his boundary.

It has happened before. He and the foster dog of the time play so hard the foster dog inadvertently trips the collar's quick release buckle. Then, we quickly tour the back yard to find the missing collar.

But, when we found it yesterday, we discovered it was damaged -- badly! Though the buckle was broken, that was not the worst. The receiving unit itself bore serious tooth marks and had a small but very evident hole in it.

Would it still work? Since I can't hear the audible warning, my roommate took the receiver out near the fence and listened for the audible. Nothing! Then she gently placed the receiver in her hand to receive the shock if it were working. She walked (crept?) up to the fence line. Nothing!

The receiver was not working. It was now late evening and Captain could spend the night in the house.

What should we do with the dogs while we were gone the next morning to get the receiver either repaired or replaced? I chose to leave them both outdoors. Even though Captain was not wearing a receiver, he would be okay because they would stay together. Fargo was wearing his receiver and Captain would not stray far from his "foster brother's" side.

Captain, being the resident dog, is the usual trainer to the fence. I walk the new foster dog around the perimeter one time. He gets shocked two or three times and learns what the audible signal is for; then, I let Captain finish the training. But, in this case, it was up to the foster dog to keep Captain contained. Apparently, it worked. When we came home, they were both eagerly and safely awaiting our arrival.

Sometimes, in our Christian lives, a brother or sister is in need of a "keeper" -- someone to be there for them, to see them through a hard place, someone to care.

Any of us may fall into either role as circumstances change. The keeper may feel he/she is not doing much; yet, the caring and being there when needed mean so much to the one in need.

God, knowing what had transpired of course, asked Cain, "Where is your brother?" Feigning ignorance, Cain responded, "I don't know. Am I my brother's keeper?" (Gen. 4:8, 9) We must not be like Cain and deny our role as our brother's keeper.

When we are in that role, may we be dependable, empathetic and spiritual so others may come through the experience better and stronger. Probably the "keeper" will also grow spiritually.