It was time to take our dog Tiger to the vet. Tiger’s name
fit him. He had a bad habit of lunging at you, or lunging on our comfortable couch. His playtime consisted of trying to get
your hand or arm, and other things in his mouth. He was named Tiger as a puppy
because of the striped markings on his body. I wonder if we had named him
Striped or Marble, if that would have changed his behavior.
We had just purchased a new vehicle. As I looked outside,
the ground was wet, so I decided not to put Tiger in the vehicle. I envisioned
him leaving muddy paw marks on the leather seats, and slobber all over the
windows. Since the veterinarian office was only a few blocks away and the
weather was warm, I decided we would walk. Tiger and I could use the exercise.
Although Tiger had been to the vet numerous times before, he
had never walked before. As we
proceeded out of our driveway, Tiger was eager to lead. Tiger had no clue where
he was going; he just knew he wanted to lead. I found myself constantly pulling
on the leash. This was turning into a trot instead of a walk. I also realized I
wasn’t walking Tiger; he was walking me. I felt like an Eskimo in a sled race,
without the snow. Every so often I would yell, “No Tiger.” However, Tiger wasn’t
listening, he was leading and that was all that mattered. I marvel at how he
didn’t have a clue where we were headed, yet he confidently lead.
I had learned not to take more than one dog at a time for a
walk. Whether it was our pit bulls, Tiger and Domino, or our gentle dogs, Buddy
and Gizmo. They each would try vigorously to take the lead, pulling my husband
and I, as if we were excessive baggage. This time it was just Tiger and I.
Tiger was choking as I pulled on the leash to get him to
slow down, and let me lead. I didn’t have a problem with him walking beside me;
this was what I wanted. But, the more I pulled on the leash, the more he
resisted.
Finally we had reached our destination. My back ached; I
just wanted to sit down. It seemed like I had walk for miles, when it was only
four blocks. When we got into the vet’s office, to my surprised I noticed
Tiger’s eyes were blood shot and somewhat bulging. I blurted out, “Oh my
goodness, what’s wrong with his eyes?” The vet replied, “You were choking him.”
Of course I informed the vet, that I did not choke him, Tiger choked himself.
If only he had yielded to the pull of the leash, then he would have been fine. Fortunately
Tiger was just a little sore.
Tiger had received his shots and we were out the door
heading home. The trip back was far more relaxing as Tiger was tired, and
yielded the lead to me.
Each year we look forward to hear, “What saith the Lord” as
we enter into a new year.
Like Tiger, we are ready to lead, but have no clue where we are headed.
Many of us assume that every year means a new season in our
lives. We yearn to see change, but have we allowed God to change us to receive
the new? We quickly take the lead,
unknowingly telling the Lord, to come and follow us. When we don’t see the
desired changes in our lives, we become disappointed and tired. What the Lord
wanted was for us to relinquish the lead to Him, and walk beside him.
Each season seems to have a theme, or a catch phrase that
characterizes it. These phrases express a hunger and yearning in our hearts. It
is the long awaited promises and blessings that we have hoped for, and that God
so desires to give us. What many have failed to realize is if we have failed to
allow The Lord to work in the past season of our lives, we are not ready to
enter into the new season that the Lord desires us to walk in.
In my book “Unmasked” I wrote, “We tend to focus our
attention on what God hasn’t accomplished in our lives, instead of what He is
accomplishing in us. Whether we admit it or not, we are that diamond in the
rough.
While we focus on progress, God is focusing on the process.
Instead of focusing on the lack of progress, we need to turn our attention on
the process. Some of the things we view as obstacles, trials or disappointments
in our lives are the very things God uses to promote us. How we handle the
process will determine how much we progress. God will not allow a trial to come
into your life unless He has a purpose. Know that the storms and challenges are
not sent to destroy you. God allowed it to increase, strengthen and promote you.”
So enjoy the journey, and let the Lord, lead.
