Walking the Dog

Walking the dog isn't just for Yo-Yos anymore! Or for my dog. As I was out walking the dog this morning, I got to thinking how much we really CAN learn from man's best friend, well, aside from the usual list you see around on posters.

So our dog is about a year and a half old...a high energy german shepherd who is still very much an overgrown puppy at heart. When I take him for a walk, part of training him to mind his manners on the leash is that whenever he is pulling on the leash (i.e. forgetting that he's attached to someone when he'd rather chase those birds, deer and today, a balloon?...), we do an abrupt turn in the opposite direction. He hits the end of that leash and instantly realizes he was getting a little ahead of his master. Sometimes we have to do this little exercise about a hundred times over the course of three or so miles. He's slowly getting the hang of it...

I need to realize how much like the dog I am! In my childlike ways, I so easily forget what I should be doing and often get a little (or a lot!) ahead of my Master. And He, consequently, has to do an abrupt turn around to remind me of where I need to be. Then he takes me back and we try again...and again...and again... In the fresh air and the freedom we're given in our Father...it's so easy to forget our place sometimes! It's one of our greatest blessings but also why I sometimes need to be jerked back into the right place. I'm glad I have a Master that won't give up on me though! Through years of this repetitive routine, I'll get there...someday.

How often do we try to lead God, or at least ourselves, instead of just walking beside Him and allowing Him to lead our every step? I think it's one of our greatest challenges as believers. So today, I hope I can be like my dog. He's made a lot of progress in the year that we've had him. So multiply that by four to get dog years...well, I think Zeke's WAY ahead of me in the progress report!

"Even there shall thy hand lead me, And thy right hand shall hold me." Psalm 139:10