How Doggie-Doo & My 3-Year-Old Point to God
Due to my hubby’s and Elijah’s allergies, when we got a dog a couple years ago, we knew we would have to go with a more hypoallergenic breed. Through God’s provision, we were able to bring home a 5-year-old chocolate Labradoodle named Vincent, or Vinny for short.
This giant teddy bear of a dog has brought lots of joy to our home…and occasionally some frustration. For example, he likes to “counter-surf,” meaning snatching food off the kitchen counters whenever he can, and since his muzzle is almost at the same height as the counters, he can grab things rather easily if we aren’t around. (He once ate an entire box of beautiful, delicious cookies that we’d just brought home from a friend’s wedding!)
With the spring thaw, another frustration has come back into play: Vinny’s…umm…”doggie-doo” – all over the yard where my boys are very excited to play. Of course, we understand that this is all part of having a dog, and even the Bible says “where no oxen (or dogs, in our case) are, the trough is clean…” (Proverbs 14:4).
But have you ever tried to direct a clumsy nearly-3-year-old, who INSISTS on running full speed AND in a zig-zag, across a yard littered with dog leavings?
The odds are generally NOT in your favor, but thankfully, I beat the odds the other day.
On the return from the mailbox, though, Josiah was excited to be carrying a flyer into the house for me, so getting him to pay attention to me or his steps sounded more like this:
“Come here, Josiah. Walk over here by Mommy. No, this way. Stay with Mommy. No. Watch where you’re stepping. Don’t go over there. Josiah, come here. Careful! Grab my hand.” All the way to the back door.
*Sigh*
Technically, he was walking with me, but he wasn’t walking as “with me” as he could. He was determined to prove his independence (being almost 3, he’s been showing his “threeness” early, but thoroughly), while all I wanted to do was keep him safe from potential disaster. He would wander a bit closer to me, but then dart off again, just out of reach. I saw all the near-misses he somehow managed to pull-off even though he was completely oblivious to them.
Kids, huh?
And yet…we can do the same thing to God that Josiah did (does) to me.
We want to do things our way. We want to make the decisions. We want to be walking with God, but maybe not as “with Him” as we could be. That would mean giving up some of our independence. At times we’ll draw closer, but do we STAY close? And how many near-misses does God see that we are completely oblivious to?
Just like my heart toward Josiah, God doesn’t want us close so He can just dictate to us or prove He’s in charge.
He wants us close so He can lead our steps, direct us, and protect us from things we aren’t even aware of.
He wants us close so He can hold our hand, and we can share the adventure together.
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.” ~ Psalm 37:23
