Running with Joy

Now that my fingers have thawed out and my tongue is no longer frozen to my soft palate, I will tell you that being the ring crew for an agility trial outdoors in 19 degree cold is not as much fun as you might think.  I had on 3 layers of wool, and my full length down parka with the fake fur around the hood all tightly strapped around my face. I looked like Nanook of the North. I was still cold.

But this morning, I awoke to snow and more snow is forecast all day!! We will certainly have enough to cross country ski on as long as the snowplows don't decide to ruin my fun and plow our streets. And despite freezing for half a day yesterday putting poles up so that dogs could knock them back down, I am thrilled to anticipate my day on the snow today in similar cold. We have gas for the generator so even if we lose power, we are fine. The generator is small but it powers the essentials- the coffee maker, and the computer.

Honeybun is curled in a little tight ball of fur next to me. She was not at her best yesterday in the frigid day test trial (called show and go). Asherel was cold and tired even before we got there, and so Honeybun picked up on Asherel's less than excited attitude and she was distracted on the course. It struck me how critical it is for teams to work together, to be in synch emotionally, with focus on the same goal. If one is not at her best, it is likely the other will be dragged down as well. I think one of the hardest aspects of running agility courses for Asherel is losing her self consciousness and generating excitement that will feed off of Honeybun's natural desire to please. It is hard for Asherel to think like and act like a dog in front of spectators, but if she can't be "one" with Honeybun, they are never quite a team. Honeybun tries as hard as she can to understand English, to read Asherel's mind, and to do what this baffling but beloved human is asking of her. She checks back with Asherel constantly while on the course, unless of course her nose chances upon a piece of dropped food from the last contestant, which happened far too often yesterday and is why food is banned from actual competition rings. Then she might spend 10 minutes in the tunnel on the course sniffing out the trail of sirloin, like she did yesterday.

But the best agility dog/handler teams are those that can read each others' cues and movements and purpose so exquisitely that they move like one. And the hallmark of both, besides grace and apparent ease is JOY. If the team is working the way it should, joy accompanies it throughout.

I have found that to be true in almost any endeavor. When I am doing what I am supposed to be doing, and my heart and mind and focus is all riveted on the proper goal, it is joyful. And when someone is with me working towards that same goal, and we are of one mind and spirit in our pursuit of excellence, it is unspeakable joy. I am quite sure that is why the Bible mentions "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I will be." (Matthew 18:20)  God wouldn't mention this if it were easy, or came naturally. So it must be difficult for 2 or 3 to gather in like purpose with like focus not only in the name of God, but in the name of anything.

We had a guest pastor this week who alluded to the purpose of congregating in prayer. He said so often our prayers are self-focused and our motivation really needs to be other-focused.
"Goodness," he bellowed, "Here in the dry south we are praying for rain so our grass will grow!! We don't need God to help the grass grow! What about the people around the world who don't have enough to eat, or who are being tortured for their faith.... that's what we need to be praying about!"

Now I would disagree in part- we DO need God for our grass to grow....but I get his point. Our focus needs to be unified, and it needs to be on a goal worthy of our time and effort.  And like Honeybun, who is constantly seeking her Master's desires, we should likewise be asking for His direction.

Polly, our beloved mentor in all things agility, wrote to me after the trial and told me to remind Asherel to keep it fun for both her and Honeybun.
"Dear Honeybun would die for Asherel if she thought that is what she wanted," our mentor Polly said.
Jesus did die for us so that the penalty due us was paid in full by Him. We would never have to run the race alone, but always accompanied by God. And with Him beside us, we should be running with joy, unspeakable joy.

Matthew 18: 19-20
 ¹⁹ “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

Drops Filling an Ocean

Our DI team did fantastically well. They won first place, but I can tell you that without boasting because there was only one team in their division. As long as they made it up on stage, they were guaranteed first place. But everyone of them was working towards achieving a high enough score that they felt they would be worthy to attend the "Global Final"- the international collection of thousands of DI winners from all over the world.

One team barely made it on stage- as they were setting up, a piece of PVC pipe caught a little boy in the face, and lacerated his cheek. He was rushed to the hospital for stitches and his team valiantly performed without him. This is very difficult since each member has parts and roles worked on for almost a year.

My team is made up of very different people. Some are artists, some singers, some actresses, some daydreamers, some builders, some comedians, some thoughtful, some hasty, some goofy, some brainy, some serious.... They come from families all with their unique struggles and stresses. It is a huge commitment for them to show up once a week for two hours for almost a year to work on this extracurricular task in the midst of the busyness of life. We always have issues to deal with, to work through. Our differences are constantly bumping up against our task, and sometimes the biggest lesson is leaving the session still liking each other.

Before our contest, Arvo, Asherel and I went hiking in the gorgeous Dupont State forest. Just two hours from Charlotte, I had not even known it existed. In the space of an hour, we saw a half dozen of some of the most spectacularly beautiful waterfalls I have ever seen. We hiked to the top of the mountain and stood a long time watching the river as it approached the sudden drop over the cliff just a couple of hundred feet ahead. The water seemed peaceful, even lazy as it slid under the bridge we stood on. I thought about all those thousands of drops of water, coalescing and rambling along, not knowing that ahead of them, they were about to cascade on the ride of their life. Each drop of water was unique, yet each was being pushed together and forced to rush down that river to their ultimate resting place, the ocean. As they plunged over the precipice, some of the drops would be flung heavenward and briefly exult in moments of individual brilliance, catching the sun, painting a rainbow, but ultimately, that drop too would fall back with the others and tumble to the sea.

Team Waterfall reminded me of Team DI and Team family... and every group of humans that endeavor to reach a goal. There is so much pushing and shoving along the way, periods of uncomfortable obstacles to smash against, portions of the path that split and diverge and travel separate routes, frightening but exhilarating plunges to new, untraveled territory, and finally, a rushing together to a common goal. It is easy for the water drops, they have no choice. They can't reach the cliff edge and say , "I am not heading over that waterfall with all you suicidal droplets... I am heading back upstream for a nice rest on the warm rock and evaporating trip to Tahiti." Nope, they can't choose Tahiti- they can't choose to not plunge with the other drops.

We can. We do have a choice. I am always sad when we humans don't all glide silkily together. It sometimes seems so impossible a task. So that makes moments like yesterday so special when my team stood on stage, and for 8 minutes united beautifully with one goal and one mind and every parent breathed the same sigh of relief when no one fainted, no one missed any discernible part, and they all were smiling at the end. I am a staunch individualist, and yet, if I am going over a waterfall, I want to be holding the hands of a team. And I want us all to be cascading to the right place.

Philippians 3:13,14

Forgetting what lies behind and straining
forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of
the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.