I was standing in line at Home Depot right after COVID swept the nation into massive lockdowns. They allow dogs inside the store, so I had Petra with me. It was so difficult for her. We’d move a few feet as someone at the head of the line would be allowed into the store. Then we’d stop again.
She was chafing to get moving. This start and stop wasn’t what her doggy heart wanted. She alternated between pulling away from me and trying to get her “Gentle Leader” off by rubbing her nose against my leg. She wanted to pull away, and yet also recognized me as her source of help.
She wasn’t the only one chafing at the restrictions imposed by “COVID-19” social distancing guidelines. The man ahead of me in the line expressed his iritation at the situation. Considering neither of us had ever seen Home Depot so filled with people that social distancing would be difficult, we agreed it seemed a bit over the top.
Lessons from a Dog
I see in my beloved doggy a reflection of my relationship with God. I alternate between exerting my independence and drawing close to Him. I know He’s my source of help, yet there’s this natural tendency within me to explore my own solutions first.
Fortunately, God loves me enough to put obstacles in my way. He’s aware of the struggle I’ve inherited from my ancestor Adam (and Eve). Rebellion and unbelief are natural for me. I was born that way.
My assertion of independence is much like Petra’s when she catches a scent on the wind. She wants to check it out. It’s what she was bred to do. However, allowing her to follow that instinct in a Home Depot parking lot could prove devastating.
Allowing me to follow my instincts in this world is likewise perilous. Fortunately, what I was born to do is not what I have to do. Because of Jesus’ decision to take upon himself Adam’s inheritance, He restored our humanity to its original harmony with God. He’s given me the choice to follow Him into eternal life in God’s restored universe. Rather than fighting the “leash” He places upon me, I can appreciate it.
Barriers a Blessing
From Adam’s day to this, God has placed barriers along the way to ruin. Hosea tells us, “Therefore, behold, I will hedge up your way with thorns, and wall her in, so that she cannot find her paths” (Hosea 2:6). Job says, “He has fenced up my way, so that I cannot pass; And He has set darkness in my paths” (Job 19:8). The wise man says, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9).
Not one of these passages teaches that God forces us to accept His gift of life. Rather, they’re assurance that He will continually guide us into the path of life. Let us respond with joy and cooperate with His work of restoration.