Your Outlook

December 31, 2025

From Pastor Joseph Wamack

A man, driving down the road sees a sign in front of a house: "Talking Dog for Sale-CHEAP!" He stops the car, gets out and rings the doorbell. A gentleman answers and says the dog for sale is in the backyard. The man goes into the backyard and there is a large black dog. He doesn’t look special or unusual. The man says, “Are you the talking dog?”

"Why yes I am," the dog says in perfect English.

The man is stunned but continues, "So, what's your story?"

The dog pauses, then says, "I discovered my gift of talking when I was a young pup, and decided I wanted to use my special gift in service to my country. I contacted the CIA and told them about my gift. In no time, they had me jetting all around the world, sitting in meeting rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one would ever suspect a dog would be listening. I was a top spy for eight years. But eventually, flying and spying wore me out. I knew I wasn't getting any younger, and I wanted to settle down. So I started working at the airport doing undercover security work, mostly wandering near suspicious characters and listening in. I uncovered some incredible dealings there and was awarded a bunch of medals. I found a great lady dog to marry, we had a litter of puppies, and now I'm retired."

The man was amazed. How could this dog possibly know how to talk and why would the owner be selling him? He returns to the dog’s owner and asks how much he is selling the dog for.

The owner says, "Ten dollars."

The man says, "This dog is amazing. Why are you selling him so cheap?"

The owner replies, "Because he's a big fat liar. He didn't do any of that stuff!"

This story reminds me of an important truth-we can have incredible, great, amazing miracles right in front of us, but they are overlooked or not appreciated because they have lost their luster and amazement to us. We see just the negative, mundane things. We miss out on brilliance because of boredom. The daily miracles become mundane. It depends on your outlook on life.

MAC family, as we start a new year, let’s learn to be amazed at the handiwork of God. The sun rises every day, and then it sets. We have life. We have friends, family, jobs, a church home, the goodness and grace of God. We have the love of Jesus down in our hearts. Where? Down in our hearts.

Part of healthy living is a healthy outlook and a thankful heart. Some people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. Choose to dwell on the good. Choose to affirm those around you. Choose not to complain. Choose to see amazing miracles every day. Choose the best. God is a God who gave us choice. Choose Life. Spread Love. Your outlook is contagious. Choose yours intentionally today.