I had a good laugh this morning. Half-asleep, I led my daughter’s two dogs outdoors to do their “thing.” I usually don’t concern myself with leashing Mandy, the nine-year-old short-haired mix, even though we don’t have a well-fenced-in yard. She is well-behaved and thoroughly trained as a therapy dog. Biscuit, a purebred golden retriever, is only about six months old, so we still have him on a leash for safety measures. He ran out so quickly that I accidentally dropped the leash. To my surprise, he immediately stopped, grabbed the leash, and handed it to me while playfully growling and woofing. He waited until I had the leash before he did his business. I laughed out loud. How hilarious!
The antics had my mind spinning. Are we so tethered to the Lord that we notice when something goes awry? He may not drop his leash on us, but we tend to yank hard in our self-imposed wisdom and yank free from our Master’s guidance. Some of us get into such a hurry that we miss the Lord’s lead, running ahead of Him while forgetting there are consequences.
But we eventually notice when something is off, don’t we? Especially when we have been close to the Lord for a while? Perhaps we become grumpier, complain more, or get testy with others. Perhaps we begin to feel anxious about situations we thought we had overcome. Maybe we are even losing joy or motivation for the things that used to please us while we walked alongside Christ.
Just as the puppy, Biscuit, recognized the difference of being untethered, I pray we all feel that same lack when we loosen our reliance on God. Actual safety is being yoked to the Lord and staying near His presence. It’s not that we can ever walk away from His presence on one hand. He has the power to be everywhere all at once and know everything. And his word promises that no one can snatch us from His hands. However, there is a difference between being tied to him versus loosely managing life on our own. God allows us freedom of choice and desires that we choose Him so that he may bring us gifts of joy and peace. He created us to thrive rather than barely survive, so I believe he is thrilled when we do. When we drift here and there, we must wake up and be alert before missing out on God’s best plans. We don’t want to miss out on the abundant life he offers us.
Just as Biscuit playfully handed me his leash, let’s all delight in handing the leash of our lives over to the Lord. As a result, I believe the Lord also delights thoroughly in us, just as I laughed joyfully at Biscuit’s antic.
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I like the play on words thethered encompasses lots of reactions. From His birth to His death! I admire your use for joyfullness! My Bandit ( my Lion of Judah) amazed me and others so many times!
Interesting regarding the word “tethered” as that’s not a word I commonly use. And yet, that’s what immediately came to mind when I wrote. I do believe God ministers to us through these animals. It’s so amazing!