Tag Archive | submission

Author Confessions: What My Dogs Teach Me About My Relationship With God, 2 of 7

Aug10
Reading Time: 4 minutes

Author Confessions: What My Dogs Teach Me About My Relationship With God, Part 2 of 7

If you haven’t read my previous post you can it here.

UNIQUENESS

As you will see in upcoming posts, each of my dogs are unique in so many ways. It is a delight to explore that with them and watch them express themselves and teach me different things about them, and God. How dare I try to compare myself to anyone else when God has also made me unique and delightful? We all have our own quirks and unique journey in life and I need to embrace that, just as I have welcomed and embraced these dogs.

I want to start going into each of my dogs individually. Not all in one post, but they all have different things to teach me.

First up is Spatzle. I got him at 4 years of age. He had been surrendered by his owners because “He barked too much.” He didn’t bark at all for months.

NO PLAN

Dogs live fully in whatever moment they find themselves. They will try to let me know if they need to go out because they’ve been trained to, but once outside even relieving themselves might need to wait until they sniff around, or check for other people around who might pet them. If the weather is bad, however, getting their business done and coming back into the house are the plan. They trust me to lead them on a walk or to feed them and because I leave food out and they can eat when they are hungry.

SUBMISSION

When training a dog, one has to establish who is the boss, or the alpha. The dog learns the rewards of submitting (usually a treat or praise) and the consequences of disobedience (no treat or sometimes, I’ll be honest, a scold).

God is the ultimate Alpha. He is King of the Universe. He is above and beyond anything grand my finite brain can fathom, yet how often do I fail to seek His face?

My sin is exponentially worse than my dog peeing or pooping in the house. I can clean up those, and sometimes the consequences of my own sin are that easy to manage. If my dog escapes the leash thinking freedom is wonderful, and refuses to come when I call, it could mean his death if he were hit by a car or some other tragedy befalls him or her.

God will always be there, no matter what the consequences and His love never ends no matter how egregious a sin I might commit. He will not always rescue me from the consequences of that sin. Not that He couldn’t, like if I cannot grab my dog before a car runs it over, but because He allows the natural world to run its course and nothing is ever wasted, even my suffering due to my own failure to submit to the One Who loves me best.

ONE ON ONE TIME

Spatzle was a Maltese mix, part Maltese, part Shih Tzu. We rescued him on Valentine’s Day which was also my middle Hobbit’s birthday. He cried all the way home. Three hours of non-stop whining no matter how much we petted him. He also didn’t poop for days!

He quickly adjusted to our home and made himself comfortable and chose me as his person. The breed can be known for separation anxiety. Spatzle was respectful. He rarely had an accident in the house and never chewed up things he wasn’t supposed to. He did bark, and was most vocal with the postal carrier. I suspect he couldn’t understand why that person wasn’t staying to give him some love.

Initially Spatzle would rush to the door when I came home, and bark incessantly to be picked up. I refused to do that until I had set stuff down or hung up my coat. Then, I would give him my attention. I would pick him up and snuggle and then he was fine and would run off to keep  guard against any mail deliveries.

Eventually he understood I would come for him and he would run to wait for me in the living room, on the sofa. Once I got in there, I would grab his favorite toy and we would play tug of war, with me often spinning him around on the hardwood floors. Oh, he absolutely loved that! He would eventually win the war and jump back to the sofa with his prize. We were both happy.

When he grew older, he didn’t have the energy for that and he would bark at first and then wait for me to come and acknowledge him.

Spatzle trusted that I didn’t forget about him, and that I loved him. How much more do I need wait for God to reveal Himself to me? It might be in a different way in different seasons. His love is constant and He delights in time spent with me. Seeing me happy to be with Him, makes God’s heart happy too.

I love looking at what my dogs teach me about my relationship with God. Do you resonate with any of these?

That Dirty “S” Word

Apr29
Reading Time: 2 minutes

I was reading a manuscript for a book coming out next year and kept seeing the word “submission.” Yup, that dirty “S” word. Did you think this was about something else? I know, Snickers probably crossed your mind – they taste so good but doesn’t help if you want the scale to go down in numbers.

Anyway, back to that “S” word. It is sad that we see it as dirty and uncomfortable. I understand that for many submitting to unjust authorities can be painful and hard. Submitting to that kind of thing rankles us independent free-thinking Americans. Freedom after all means making our own choices, doesn’t it?

Well, you pay taxes (maybe?) and you probably generally follow the speed limit. You try not to steal or murder. Hmm. Are you submitting to the law or to God? Perhaps both because God has given us the law for protection, for our benefit, for our greater happiness.

So too with those He places in authority over us. I have a “boss.” I cannot just go and do my own thing but I have to submit to her ultimate authority over the work I do. It doesn’t bother me at all. I see it as an opportunity to grow as I learn from her leadership and guidance.

In the church, I see the leadership I serve under as a spiritual umbrella that protects me from falling into sin. They are held responsible for my ministry before God as I serve under them. I respect the weight of that and want to honor that responsibility by responding to their authority with gratitude.

Submission does not equal doormat though. It does not equal “victim.” We are not to submit to evil or condone it.

Submission is a joy when we know that the people we submit to have our  best interests at heart and love us. Then it is far easier to submit even when doing so means letting go of some or our own desires.

Submission however is not always easy. Jesus submitted to an unjust trial, false accusations and brutal physical torture as well as the defection of the majority of his followers. For you and for me. To save us. To provide an intimate umbrella of protection from the weight and death that is a result of our sin.

In that way submission is a beautiful thing and not a dirty word.  The best book I’ve ever read on this subject is called Liberated through Submission  by Bunny Wilson. I recommend it for MEN and WOMEN, SINGLE or MARRIED. It’s the kind of book I hope my kid will read in their later teen years to help them be prepared for the reality of submission in this world and the blessings that are a part of it.

How about you? In what ways do you struggle with this issue?