An unlikely pair.
A puppy and a child,
a sinner and a loving God.
I was at the fairgrounds the other night for the Meeker Massacre pageant that we put on every Fourth of July, and I saw this little girl with her puppy out walking around. Both were tiny and the stands were pretty dark at the time. The little girl proceeded to go down the stairs and the puppy was afraid. Instead of leaving the dog or coaxing the dog with a treat, the little girl just tugged on the leash and practically drug the puppy down the stairs. The second go around, the little girl simply picked up the dog and the third time around, the girl tugged the leash and the puppy fell down the first step, then proceeded to follow the girl down the steps. I found this interesting and couldn’t help but smile as I had realized the that image was a picture of my relationship with God sometimes. I had realized how in many ways, that’s exactly what God does with us. He asks us to do something difficult in our eyes and we refuse. We pull excuses like Moses did and say “but I am not a good enough speaker”. So God gives us a little nudge. Sometimes, life gets so scary and we cannot possibly see a way to get through a situation, and God carries us. God knows it’s safer with Him than to risk letting us fall astray. He hugs us tightly even when we may wiggle and paw and even yelp to be put down. He just wants us to know He is there and that He loves us dearly. But as time goes on and we begin to see God move and make a way for us, God gives us a task, and out of rebellious habit we say no, just on that first step, but we easily recall all the many other steps that we have survived and seen Him move in before, and we are more easily swayed to submit to His callings and follow Him. The goal of course is to be able to blindly trust God and not need to know all the answers. To not need to know all the steps to come. Taking life step by step is after all how trust is built in the first place. But, I find it funny, we call it blind faith, but the more I place my trust in God, even not understanding or seeing any possible outcomes, the less blind I feel.
This is a shorter blog, and more directly to the point than most, but I pray this encourages you to take the next step and trust God with every season of your life. We see children and animals, and sometimes we feel bad for the animals when the child squeezes or drags them on the leash. At the beginning we think of how the animal is going to snap or how as they get older they’ll learn better and run away. Yet many times, the two grow closer together and the puppy eventually runs to the front door just to greet the child as they get home from a long day of school. Likewise, the world tells us if we’re smart, we will run from God. But as time goes on, we notice the difference in our day when we don’t go with God. Notice I said “go WITH God”, rather than taking God with us by shoving our Bible in our back pocket, but rather starting the day with God and doing the day to day tasks He asks of us. Listening to those little whispers of “help this person” “seek them out for lunch” “pick that up”. If you’re in a place where you feel like God is just dragging you around and you’re feeling beat up, hang in there. We cannot control what happens around us, all we can do is decide to react in a positive and loving manner. What an unlikely pair, a God who loves unconditionally, and a mere human. Now that’s true poetry, for the love of God surpasses all understanding.
Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? … No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow — not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below — indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35, 37-39)
And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. (Ephesians 3:18-19)
And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. (Ephesians 3:18-19)
