Lessons from a Dog

(First let me say that I have no idea what figures of speech and analogies, metaphors, anthropomorphisms, zoomorphisms, or something entirely different that I am using in this post. And most definitely I’m mixing them all up together. So, if you are an English professor or Grammar Police, please forgive me in advance. Please know the examples I give are for illustration only.)

This is Winda.

This is how she stares at me when she’s in “place” and desperately wants me to let her sit beside me on the couch. The picture doesn’t adequately capture the pitiful look in her eyes. She is waiting, but she is also anticipating the snuggles and belly rubs. The second I release her, she jumps on the couch and lays her head on my lap. 

She and I go for walks daily when weather permits. Since we live in the country with no sidewalks or shoulders on the road, I put her in the car and we drive to town for our walks. The second she even thinks I’m getting things together to go, she can hardly contain her excitement. When we are walking, she is constantly alert to any activity around us. I’m teaching her that some things she notices are “not your business” and that she is to “focus.” 

When it’s her meal time, I tell her to “sit” and “wait”. I put her food on the floor. She watches me intently, waiting impatiently for me to say “okay” so she can eat. 

I was thinking about the anticipation I have for my time of Bible study and prayer, for corporate worship, for group studies, for acts of service, for fellowship with other believers. Am I excited about my walk with God? Do I focus on Him or am I distracted by other things around me? Do I trust Him to provide for me and look intently to Him to meet all my needs?

Let’s be honest about Winda though. Sometimes she jumps on the couch before I release her. Sometimes she needs reminders to not be distracted by things around us on our walk. She is terrified of metal grates on the sidewalk that make a noise when we step on them. A teen dribbling the basketball on the tennis court takes her attention off me. One time she anticipated a move I wasn’t planning, turned in front of me, and I fell over her. Sometimes I have to remind her multiple times before she waits for her food. Aren’t we the same way with God?

Waiting

1 Samuel 13:8 He waited seven days for the appointed time that Samuel had set, but Samuel didn’t come to Gilgal, and the troops were deserting him. 9 So Saul said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” Then he offered the burnt offering…13 Samuel said to Saul, “You have been foolish. You have not kept the command which the Lord your God gave you. It was at this time that the Lord would have permanently established your reign over Israel, 14 but now your reign will not endure. The Lord has found a man loyal to Him, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not done what the Lord commanded.”

Saul was in a difficult situation. He disobeyed God and offered sacrifices and burnt offerings himself. When Samuel arrived, he delivered God’s message to Saul that because of his disobedience, another would take the throne. In our human minds do we grow impatient with God and try to do things on our own? Do we disobey Him because in our own minds we are doing things for Him? Or are we simply selfish and want to do things our own way?

Psalm 25:Lord, I turn to You.

2 My God, I trust in You.

Do not let me be disgraced;

do not let my enemies gloat over me.

3 No one who waits for You

will be disgraced;

those who act treacherously without cause

will be disgraced.

4 Make Your ways known to me, Lord;

teach me Your paths.

5 Guide me in Your truth and teach me,

for You are the God of my salvation;

I wait for You all day long.

Think about our quiet times with the Lord. Do we wait expectantly for Him to make Himself known, for Him to teach us His paths, guide us in His Truth, or do we read hurriedly and go on with the rest of our daily activities? Even after we leave our “closet” place, are we listening attentively to what He wants to teach us through our daily activities? Do we wait for Him all day long?

Psalm 27:Because of my adversaries,

show me Your way, Lord,

and lead me on a level path.

12 Do not give me over to the will of my foes,

for false witnesses rise up against me,

breathing violence.

13 I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness

in the land of the living.

14 Wait for the Lord;

be strong and courageous.

Wait for the Lord.

As we walk on the path He has prepared for us, do we get distracted, fearful of the “metal grates” on the sidewalk, or do we trust Him, wait for Him, and find our strength and courage through Him? When Winda is frightened by the noise, I comfort her. I step over the grate first, then she trusts me and follows me. Doesn’t God comfort us when we trust Him? Do we trust Him and keep on the path He has prepared for us?

Acts 17:16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was troubled within him when he saw that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with those who worshiped God and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there…30 “Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because He has set a day when He is going to judge the world in righteousness by the Man He has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”32 When they heard about resurrection of the dead, some began to ridicule him. But others said, “We’d like to hear from you again about this.” 33 Then Paul left their presence. 34 However, some men joined him and believed, including Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

When we wait, God may show us a ministry we weren’t expecting. Paul was waiting for his companions in Athens when his heart was troubled by all the idol worship. He acted in obedience and began to reason with those who happened to be there. Not everyone accepted the call to repentance, the righteous judgment of God, and the resurrection of Jesus, but some believed. They had the opportunity to hear the gospel because Paul waited and was obedient. Henry Blackaby wrote that our hearts should be broken by the things that break God’s heart. We wait and He shows us what that is.

Compassion

Psalm 103:11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is His faithful love

toward those who fear Him.

12 As far as the east is from the west,

so far has He removed

our transgressions from us.

13 As a father has compassion on his children,

so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.

Most of the times that Winda stares at me, wanting to sit with me on the couch, I’m either reading or writing, and want to concentrate on what I’m doing, but I have compassion for her and let her sit with me. Last week she ate the cover of a new Bible study book that I bought. But I forgave her and had compassion on her. How thankful I am that God shows me compassion and forgives me! I can’t give you a scripture that justifies this thought, but sometimes I just want to sit on Father God’s lap and let Him show me His love and compassion. 

Luke 15: 20 So he got up and went to his father. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. 21 The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I’m no longer worthy to be called your son.’

In the parable of the prodigal son, Jesus explains the Father’s compassion for us. When we come to Him in repentance, He wraps His arms around us. 

Hope

Winda hopes that I will let her sit on the couch. But when scripture talks about hope, we can believe with all assurance that God will fulfill His purposes. 

Romans 15:4 For whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that we may have hope through endurance and through the encouragement from the Scriptures…13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The instruction we receive through scripture gives us hope (assurance) and encouragement. We endure/persevere. God’s hope fills us with joy and peace by the power of His Holy Spirit. 

Provision

Matthew 6:31 So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For the idolaters eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

I know Winda needs food and water. But to be honest, sometimes I get busy and suddenly realize I haven't given her food yet. It’s never that way with God. He always knows our needs. We need to focus on Him and not worry about other things. Fashionable clothes aren’t a big priority for me, but food, that’s important. We joke that we start planning lunch before we are finished with breakfast, and supper before we are finished with lunch. 

1 Timothy 6:17 Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy. 18 Instruct them to do what is good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, willing to share, 19 storing up for themselves a good reserve for the age to come, so that they may take hold of life that is real.

There’s much more to God’s provision than food and clothing. He provides real life for us in Heaven. My children were sheltered when they were little. Some of their cousins were not. The cousins came to spend a week with us one summer. The oldest one was talking about a popular musician whose lyrics we believed to be satanic. Our children had no idea who he was talking about.  He said, "Aunt Mary Lynne. Your kids have no idea about the real world.” I’m so glad they didn’t know about the real world that he was referencing. I’m even more happy that we taught them about the real world Paul is writing about in his letter to Timothy. Real life is the life that God wants to provide for us, not only here on earth, but in Heaven for eternity. 

Focus

When I walk with Winda, I remind her to “focus” when she gets distracted. It’s so easy for us to get distracted by the things of the world, and be tempted to lose our focus on Jesus.

Hebrews 12:2 keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.

Our waiting, our hope, His compassion and provision are all related to our focus on Him. When we lose that focus, we open ourselves up to distractions that keep us from receiving the blessings that God wants to give us. 

Philippians 3:18 For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame. They are focused on earthly things, 20 but our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. 21 He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of His glorious body, by the power that enables Him to subject everything to Himself.

Let me remind you of Winda’s commands. Place. Wait. Okay. Focus. Not your business. Stay with me. And a few others we are also working on. Take a moment as I have stretched another analogy and pray about how you are following God’s commands and the blessings you receive when you obey Him.