Commands

Life is funny in that everything that I am trying to accomplish is relatable to something else. Here I am trying to teach my puppy the list of popular commands that every well-behaved puppy or dog should know: sit, stay, leave it, wait, come, and recall by name.  Then, it dawned on me like a slow sunrise over a mountain top: these are the same commands that God is trying to teach me.

I should know how to sit still and stay put without being so anxious to move or chase something that may not be for me. I should know how to leave the old habits, thoughts, and sins behind. I should know how to walk away from battles that are not mine or conversations that I have no business being a part of. I should know how to wait until my trial or tribulations are over and not try to find an easy way out, possibly avoiding a lesson that I need to learn. I should have learned to come to God or Jesus when life bothers me or if my situation becomes too much to bear. And most importantly, I should recognize God’s voice and respond when my name is called. Yet, here I am very similar to my puppy being disobedient and not knowing my basic commands.

I lose patience with her when she doesn’t listen then I want to give up and walk away. I think, “perhaps, I will pick up the training sessions tomorrow or leave her the way she is.” I say, “I will let her run around and be disobedient,” limiting the time we will share. Then I think about it, if I did that then maybe I should not have gotten a puppy. Again much like me, she shows progress every day. I think back to before she was potty trained, it was like one day she just got it. She knew to go to the door and ring the bell. All things take practice and repetition, so I know it is important to show her grace and to forgive her just as God has shown me.

God has not left me. Despite me walking or running from Him numerous amounts of time. Despite me not knowing or recognizing a command He has given me. He keeps coming back trying, again and again, never losing His cool over my disobedience, never leaving me to suffer, never leaving me to be alone despite how I may feel, and never leaving me to figure it out on my own. So I too keep trying.

I take a breather and hug her instead of yelling at her. I sit her down and ask her why isn’t she listening, instead of putting her in a crate or leaving her alone. I rub her belly and tell her how much I love her because I feel like that is what God does to me.

He hugs me in the sunshine and surrounds me with love instead of giving me what I deserve. He showers me with blessings and protection from my enemies instead of leaving me to die at the hands of the problems, people, and spirits that are against me. He asks me why I am not listening or doing what He has asked. He makes me feel that I am capable of doing better, so I know I am able to do better. He rewards me when I get things right and may discipline me if I already learned a lesson but chose to be disobedient anyways.

That’s the kind of pet parent I want to be. A loving parent that is capable to show my little girl love, patience, rewarding her for the good, but being stern and disciplining her in a way that will not scar her for life. Someone once told me, “Your child or pet is a reflection of you.” I believe that. The way I choose or not choose to raise my child or pet is a direct reflection of the kind of person I am. If my pet is young but is wild and ill-mannered then that says that I gave up and didn’t care because it was too much. The Bible says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6 KJV).”

In order to follow Jesus, it is imperative to recognize Him when he calls, to have the patience to sit and stay. It is important to know the difference between what is right and wrong, there is no gray area when it comes to right or wrong. As I continue to disencumber my chains to reach freedom from human expectations, I will work to take up the chains that bind me to Jesus Christ.