It’s 10 o’clock pm and 33 degrees outside.
I’m standing behind my open kitchen door patiently waiting for my big dog to walk through the threshold so I can go to bed.
My toes are getting numb from the cold.
I decide to shut the door.
I make one last attempt to get her in by hollaring out “it’s cold. I know you don’t wanna sleep out here!” She looks at me, annoyed. My presence is interrupting her barking at nothing. I shut the door, turn the light out and look through the blinds only to find her sniffing at the door.
YES! She wants in!
Thank the Lord. Don’t wanna puppy pop in the morning.
So, I open the door. She sticks her head in and duck’s right back out in the cold. This goes on for quite some time. Each time I tell her I’m not opposed to allowing her to sleep outside and each time she thinks about coming in, then chooses the cold instead. I only want what’s best for her. She has a comfy bed here in her nice warm house, but she chooses the unknown of sleeping out in the cold verses the warmth and security of her home. I wish I could make her come in, but she’s 70 lbs of pure muscle and stubborn.
Think about that whole silly story for a minute.
It’s not just some silly tale about my dog. Although this scenario plays out nightly in my home, it can also serve as an example of our relationship with God.
He guides us down certain paths for our lives and we don’t always listen when he explains where to go. We are reluctant to rely on God to handle our finances, that job loss, that relationship that needs mending, our pain.
We can fix it ourself, right? We know better than God!
Haha! WRONG!
God gave us fee will, but when we live by His will, the choices we make ultimately lead us to the same path. We just get to choose which way to go, the straight and narrow or the windy road? The easy way or the hard way. The funny thing is, the “easy” way can some times be harder. It’s not always easy to do the right thing. Is hard to admit your wrong or to forgive someone who hurt you. Those are the very things however, that can bring you closer to what God has in store for you.
So, don’t be like my dog and sleep out in the cold. Come in and welcome all that is waiting in you.