Lessons From a Leash

My puppy, which is ten weeks old and a sweet, yellow ball of energy, needed to go outside for a “potty break” this morning. I am desperately trying to get him to “potty” in the appropriate place in the yard, as well as not wander far into the woods, so he gets put on the leash for every outside visit.

I found him sitting by the door, eagerly needing to go out, so I grabbed his red retractable leash. For those of you, not so familiar with the doggie world, a retractable leash allows the pet owner to control the length of the leash. It allows for great control, especially when puppy is headed for danger. One quick flick of the button and puppy is right back where you want him. Think shepherd staff made from durable cloth, plastic and mechanisms too complicated for me to understand!

When my HB saw that leash, his tail began to wag. He jumped up and started barking – clearly he was happy to see it, it meant he was going outside.

I hooked the leash to his collar and out we went. At first, the time outside was pleasant. Cool breeze blowing in the air, puppy frolicking (yes, I said frolicking!) in the wet, dewy grass. His business complete, I decided to just let him sniff around a bit, just enjoy some outside time.

But true to mischievous form, my little HB almost immediately got into trouble. He started sniffing around our front bushes, gradually wound his way around one of them. I had let the leash out a little so that he could enjoy himself and explore, but as he got further into the trouble area, I started gently tugging. I tugged and he lunged, I tugged and he lunged and wound the leash around his foot. It was going from bad to worse. I retracted the leash until he had no choice but to come back out the way he went in, and by then, he was mad. Mad at me, but ridiculously mad at the leash. It was holding him back; it was keeping him from all those great smells under that bush. The gardenias in bloom were calling to him and he needed to be in them, under them, biting them! He growled, he bit at the leash and kept biting. Eventually he wound himself up completely in the leash, which by the way, I had been retracting and letting out as needed in this strange puppy tug of war.

All the while puppy was waging war against this leash that just a few minutes before he was so excited to see, I was calling his name, clicking my tongue in that “come here, boy” way that dog owners do. He was ignoring me, struggling with the leash and continuing to tangle him in it. Finally, I realized that he was exhausting himself and I went over to him, released his foot from the leash and retracted it all the way. He now had a very short length of leash and ultimately had no choice in where he was headed. Not surprisingly though, he was happy to have me so close, to have me pick him up and bring him into the cool house. He sat quietly while I unhooked his leash and then settled his self on the cool tile for a quiet nap. Exhausted.

As I watched him struggle, it occurred to me that I am just like HB when it comes to submitting to the authority of God in my life.

Just like HB, I can sense in my spirit when I need break from this life and need to spend time in the Word or in quiet prayer. Just like him, I see Bible study or time at worship as exciting. I am ready, jumping for joy in my soul at the thought of diving in God’s Word for a fresh truth to hold onto. My heart’s tail wags at the thought of sitting down in the sanctuary of my beautiful church, hearing some great music and listening to a sermon, sure to apply to my life.

But then, just like HB, I find that once I am actually confronted with a biblical principle or a sin in my life, I quickly start to tug and struggle. God’s Word is like that retractable leash. I desire it because of what it can do for my spiritual life. But at times, I rage against it because it creates boundaries for me. It guides me into pleasant places, but it also pulls me back when I want to stray off into the sin of this life. I tug, God uses His Word and His people in my life to pull me back.

In some instances in my life, I can look back and see how God used His retractable leash. He allowed me to wander a little bit, to see what I wanted to see, and then using His Word and His ways, he gently unwound me from my chaos, pulled me back to Him. All the while, even when I was exploring things that could ultimately cause me harm, He was gently tugging at me, softly calling my name, calling me back to Him. Even more comforting to know also that the times I was out exploring the sin of this world, He was with me, whether I wanted Him there or not. Just like that leash for HB.

Ultimately, through all the struggles, and all the wandering and rebelliousness, I am never more happy than when God shows up in my life. It is amazing grace to me that He gently untangles my every mess and carries me back to Him, into the coolness of His presence, the quiet rest that only He can offer.

I knew getting a puppy would change my life, who knew it would provide such spiritual lessons so early on a Thursday morning?