Four years ago, this country girl bought a house in town. I knew I would need a backyard for my dog to have space to run and play. Thankfully, the Lord provided a house on a decent sized lot – plenty of room for me and the pup.
One area of the yard, however, quickly became off limits to him. The cellar top (which I am very grateful for here in Oklahoma) provides the perfect launching pad for a dog looking to hop a fence. My little Houdini was bound to take advantage of that sooner or later if left to his own devices.
My dog, bless him, is smart, athletic and highly determined. He knows very well that he is not allowed in that area, but he still tries to run over there any chance he gets. After a wild goose chase through the neighbor’s backyard, I set up a barrier to keep him out of the No Dog Zone. The barrier – though totally ruining the aesthetic – guards his safety and my sanity.
This morning, per usual, I let him out before leaving for work. Instantly, before I even knew what was happening, that crazy mutt realized part of the barrier had fallen in the high winds last night. He bolted straight for the Zone.
Did I mention he’s also very quick? I, on the other hand, move slower than molasses in winter. He started running laps around the forbidden area, absolutely taunting me as I tried to wrangle him back to the main yard. I finally got him out of there and headed to work in a huff.
I typically use my morning commute as a time for prayer (another sanity protector). This morning’s prayer quickly turned into a rant about the dog and his blatant, willful disobedience. I love my dog, but he also infuriates me sometimes.
Then it hit me. I do the same thing to God. I too act in blatant, willful disobedience at times. I find ways around the barriers He has placed in my life. Those barriers are not there to ruin a good time; they are intended to keep me safe, in His will, and in good fellowship with Him.
The sinful flesh is a nasty beast, and Satan lures it out with temptations of grandeur. Adam and Eve, believing they would be like God, forsook the vast richness of Eden for a bite of destruction. My dog fixates on one small area when he has an entire yard for his enjoyment. And even with these examples (and countless others) right in front of my face, I fall into that same trap time and again. Praise God for His unlimited supply of love and patience!
My Sunday School class is currently memorizing Ephesians 2:1-7, and I am so grateful that God has been hiding these words in my heart. They were definitely needed this morning!
They are comfort, encouragement, and the kick-in-the-pants I need in the battle. I was dead in sin, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses made us alive together with Christ – by grace [we] have been saved – and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus,” (vs. 4-7).
It’s doggone crazy – and oh so beautiful – to know that the mighty, infinite God of the universe chooses to have mercy on me. He loves me with great love. He desires to show me the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness – all made possible through Christ alone.
