On my worship walk I often meet other people, some are getting exercise and fresh air like I am, some are walking their dogs. There are three dogwalkers I regularly greet. One young woman has a puppy on a leash. She’s usually coaxing him out of yards, away from bushes, or pulling him along behind her. He’s adorable but all over the place as they walk.
I also meet a middle-aged man who has two large, strong dogs on leashes. They have the leashes pulled taunt and are pulling him along behind them. They are eager to run, although he seems less so.
A third person is an older man walking what appears to be an older dog. The dog is on a leash, but he doesn’t need to be. He walks gently beside his owner. They seem content to be walking together and as they pass by, it’s evident the dog is happy as his tail wags gently with each step.
When I think about the dogwalkers and their dogs I see how we often are in our “walk” with the LORD. Sometimes we are like that puppy, all over the place. God must gently coax us along, sometimes pulling us away from danger. We get distracted easily by the things of life.
Other times we are running ahead, trying to drag God along with us. We haven’t stopped to ask where He wants us to go, or how fast He wants us to go. We just run and expect Him to catch up. He’s constantly reining us in so that we stay with Him.
And then there are the times we are like that old dog. Our greatest joy is simply to walk beside our Master. We don’t need the leash to pull us along or rein us in. We are walking step by step beside Him and loving every moment with Him.
Oh, to be like that old dog.
