Dog Gone!

Yep, it’s hard to believe, but sometimes dogs like to roam! We just acquired a free gift in the form of a 16 month old husky, collie, border collie mixed dog. She is fun and loves to run and play with the kids, but just like a youngster, she gets bored. So, when we least expected it, she dug under the fence and roamed the neighborhood in search of friendship and adventure - three times! After working through my frustrations at having to handle yet another challenge, we have all come to realize that spending substantial amounts of time with our dog is mandatory. We now have to keep her on a leash when no one is in the yard with her for fear that she’ll dig yet another escape route under the fence.

Sometimes we can become bored as Christians. Yep, I know it is all supposed to be happy and fun-filled now that you have let Jesus Christ have lordship of your life. But the reality is that life still goes on and living life as a Christian (or non-Christian for that matter) can get pretty hard at times. When we allow ourselves to become distant from God it is easier for distractions and delusions to persuade us that there is a better way - even if we have to “dig our way out!” But after gaining our hard fought freedom to run outside the boundaries of God’s provision, we find that what looked so good - wasn’t.

Outside the boundary there is a scarcity of food, water, and all the other blessings God has promised us. But unlike the scolding we gave our dog when we found her digging, God has given us a free will to do as we please. Thankfully, He has not put us on a leash, because that is not His plan! I am so grateful that when we do realize the foolishness of our frolicking God welcomes us back with open arms. Jesus Christ has already paid the price for all of our wrongdoing, but we can’t enjoy God’s provision until we have allowed Him full Lordship of our lives. Only when we invite Jesus Christ to take Lordship and leadership of our lives on a daily basis, will we move beyond boredom into an exciting life in which every day is a new beginning.