How Walking a Dog Teaches about God

I awake long before the rest of the crew here in Tucson, being still on Eastern Standard Time. This gives me time each morning to watch the sun rise over the incredible mountains that surround my niece's beautiful home. Yesterday morning, I saw a coyote lope across the back yard just as the sun was considering rising.

Now that Amy is recuperating from her pancreatitis and doing well, I still assist with her duties caring for her young grandkids, but have taken on a new project in my last few days here. My compassionate niece Renee and gentle giant husband Richard took on an immense white German Shepherd puppy to help out a friend who was in a horrific accident. The one year old pup is taller than me when he stands on his hind legs, and a ball of untrained, uncontrolled energy. He really is the last thing the parents of a 2 year old and 3 month old need, but they would not turn their back on their friend's request when he could no longer keep the dog.

So, I decided with my vast dog training expertise (sarcasm alert), I would train the dog that was 3 times my size to walk on a leash. Then he could go on long walks and dispel some of that energy. I warned the crew that I would be back as soon as my arm dislocated.

Now truth be told, what I was taught in 6th grade 4H class still holds true in training a dog to "heel." I have taught many dogs to walk (sort of) calmly at my heel. So I leashed Gus the big white dog, and off we....WENT!!!!! Whew! Gus was strong but physics is my friend, and I knew that if I kept the leash short, and his weight off balance, I still had the advantage. Each time he pulled ahead of my heel, I would swing around in the other direction, giving the "heel" command, and telling him he was a "good dog." Poor uncontrolled Gus doesn't hear the words, "good dog" often. Sometimes I would circle clockwise, sometimes counterclockwise. Gus was a quick study, and began looking at me in a touch of bewilderment as he loped at my heel. Good dog!

He seemed very pleased to be a good dog, as we twirled our way down the peaceful dirt roads of the quiet Sonora desert. When he was no longer pulling, I took off at a fast clip walking. He kept glancing at me, and for longer and longer periods, he didn't pull at all. I felt the inexpressible communion of dog and master when they are in synch on a joint purpose, moving forward. Gus was happy. I was happy. He was content to walk at the heel of his master. I could see the wheels turning in this intelligent dog's expression. I could tell he was thinking: "This is what controlled obedience feels like, submitting to the will of one who loves me and has my best interests in heart! It feels...good."

oops, RABBIT!!!

Gus lunged, but I had seen the rabbit too and we began our swirling again, till he had stopped pulling. Loose leashed, we continued our walk.

It takes no symbolic genius to see the parallel here to how we should be walking with God. So many of us (yours truly included) fight for our own way with the noblest of intentions (sarcasm alert) and we leave unwittingly a path of destruction. Yet when we submit, and walk in perfect step with the Master who loves us and has our best interest in heart, a whole vista of potential opens before us.

Well done, good and faithful servant!

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Psalm 37:5-6
Commit your way to the Lord;
 trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.