Life on a Leash...Part One

Life On a Leash

Part One

It is funny how certain things in life work as miniature sermons to tell you more descriptively what God is wanting you and needing you to know.  I recently had a pastor that would say, “there is a sermon in there somewhere.”  I miss hearing L.D. speak.  He is so right.  There is almost always a sermon in there somewhere. 

Last night as I walked my sister’s dog, one of my newly favorite pastimes, several “sermons” were coming to mind.  Abby is a beautiful dog, a huge dog, but a beautiful dog.  When Michele first got her, I thought it was such a bad idea.  She already had a wonderful dog.  Deana was an unusually coated German Shephard with a great personality and very well trained.  Michele was pregnant at the time, in a fairly new marriage with two other boys both still young.  The last thing she needed was to add to the fury of it all with a puppy!  She didn’t see it that way.  She was overcome with the desire to take on this one extra challenge and make her life that much more complicated.

If any of you have ever seen the movie “Marley and Me”, you can relate to the madness that Abby brought into our lives with her.  She is a very loving dog.  She has to have your affection and attention.  She apparently can’t live without it because she constantly strives for it.  That is why for so long I couldn’t even stand her.  “Get away Abby!”

“Ah, that stupid dog.  Doesn’t she know when to stop?”  I hurt my sister’s feelings every time I talked about her cherished animal.  She would quietly take Abby into the other room and close the door so that I was not annoyed and we could go on with our conversation not being interrupted.  I feel bad about that now.  At the time, it was Abby’s fault.  She was the one that constantly got under feet, didn’t know when to stop, and was loud and rude and interrupting, not knowing her place.

When I got to a place in life where I really needed to walk and run but no one was available, my sister said “why don’t you take Abby?”  She could use the walks and she will be good company for you.  I was very hesitant at first.  Was this really a good idea?  I had walked some with friend’s dogs though and it was nice to have a dog because you had company but you didn’t have to talk.  You could still walk and pray as I liked to do. I decided to give it a try. 

Well, that was probably two or more years ago.  Granted I am not the best at being consistent with walking her.   Things always get in the way, and it really is more about me wanting to walk or run than it is to take her for her daily walk.  It is in these walks though that I have fallen in love with this loud obnoxious dog.  I see what my sister always said.  “She can’t help it, Laura.  She is just so excited to see you.”

When I go over there she gets so excited to see me.  Even when I don’t even pick up the leash, and all I do is sit to talk she is right there with me loving on me, being near me and appreciating me.  This dog that I once couldn’t stand has become this great gift to me.  What is best as a dog owner, as if I were one, is when you are busy doing your thing and don’t necessarily have time to give them but they just so desperately want to be near you that they come and plop in a spot right near you.  They desire to be where you are.  That is how I think life with God is.  Sometimes, not that He doesn’t have the time but because giving to us isn’t His constant desire, sometimes our relationship with Him is about curling up next to Him and just enjoy being there, right in the presence of our loving and gracious God. 

The last few times I have walked Abby, my greatest desire has been to get her to be “slow”.  She really wants to obey and when she knows she needs to, she will.  But her enthusiasm and excitement can lead to a heck of a lot of trouble.  She is like a beast on a chain that no one can tame.  She runs fast and hard pulling me behind her like a kite tied to her tail.  This untamed excitement works when I need the motivation to run, but when she is needing to follow my lead, her focus is already completely lost to even hear what I am saying.  I’m not really good at training dogs. I really don’t know how.  I am about to start to learn but in the mean time what I have done is any time she runs like the wind dragging me behind her, I stop.  I call her. And a lot of times I call her to sit.  She needs to know and learn my authority and that has helped but she still doesn’t get that when she is free to go that doesn’t mean run wild.  

As I struggled with Abby getting frustrated at times that she was being out of control, I thought of all the times in my life that I was out of control and I didn’t listen to what I knew was best, I just ran for what I wanted.  I haphazardly and recklessly bolted for whatever it was.  Then, suddenly some how, in my life I would feel this strong and sudden “tug” to stop or slow me down.  God was abruptly getting my attention.  He was right there with me all along. My Lord and I where out on our walk of life together. 

I don’t want to be like Abby in my spiritual life. I don’t want to get overly excited about something I am doing or wanting and run recklessly out of control until something painful happens.  I want to be in sync with the Father.  I want to know and appreciate his   presence.  I want to be right there following his lead.

My walks with Abby would be so much more productive and healthy if she followed my lead.  Her desire to run would still motivate me to run when I wasn’t really feeling it, and so much energy wouldn’t be wasted on the struggle.  That energy would be harnessed to provide distance and productivity.  That is what I want with Abby.  That is what I desire to see us achieve.  That is also what I desire to see with my relationship with God though too.  I want to get to that place of respect, listening productively so that when we do “Run” together so much will come from it!

Lessons Learned by writer: Laura D. Menefee