Keeping My Eyes on the Master
In December 2007, the children and I came home from Walmart with much more than we had intended. A couple of young ladies were giving away black lab puppies. We got two - two very similar sisters, at least at first glance. They are both black, very similar in size and markings. But they are so different in temperament. I know them so well now that I don’t even need to have the light on the living room in the evening to know which dog is which. Their mannerisms are so distinctive to me.
When they were a little over a year old, they had lots of energy. They could flat out run! I tried to take them out for a run every day. Ron mowed around the perimeter of our upper pasture, and three times around is 1.2 miles. That took me about 22 minutes, and I tried to walk that every morning. They’d get so excited. As soon as I opened the door, they’d be out and almost out of sight before I could get off the porch. It didn’t take long for Velvet to come back and check on me. When she did, I'd give her a treat and snap the leash onto her collar. Pretty soon, Ebony would come to find out where Velvet was. I'd give Ebony a treat and switch the leash to her collar, letting Velvet go. Every so often, I'd switch the dogs. Velvet stayed close. She wanted to know where I was and often came over to try playing tug of war with the leash. But when it was Ebony’s turn off the leash, she roamed hard and fast and often out of my sight. Eventually she'd come back, but it appeared that she was more interested in seeing if maybe she could get Velvet to go running with her than in being with me.
At first, I had a really hard time trying to decide which dog I liked better. But I know now - mostly because of those daily walks. Velvet kept her eyes on me. She wanted to please me. Even when they are both running free at the start of the walk, she'd come back to check on me very quickly. Even when Ebony was enticing her away, Velvet often looked back at me like she couldn’t decide who she’d rather be with. She had definitely decided that I’m her master.
Even today, Ebony is a very nice dog, very smart, very sweet. But she is not that interested in a close relationship with me - at least when we’re outside. She is interested in running and getting Velvet to run with her. Even in the house, it is Velvet who sleeps at my feet. I have to be careful when I get up from my desk because Velvet’s often right there.
It’s interesting because it’s a self-perpetuating cycle. Because she’s right there, she’s the one who gets to lick out the mixing bowl when I’m making cookies. Because she’s right there, she’s the one who gets the pat on the head when I stand up. Because she’s right there, she’s the one I talk to. Our relationship continues to grow stronger because she’s often so close to me. I know you can see the analogies. We need to keep our eyes on our Master. We should desire to be close to Him, in His presence whenever possible. The more time we spend with God, the stronger the relationship grows. We can see it - especially when the spiritual reality is played out in a physical relationship right in front of us.
In December 2007, the children and I came home from Walmart with much more than we had intended. A couple of young ladies were giving away black lab puppies. We got two - two very similar sisters, at least at first glance. They are both black, very similar in size and markings. But they are so different in temperament. I know them so well now that I don’t even need to have the light on the living room in the evening to know which dog is which. Their mannerisms are so distinctive to me.
When they were a little over a year old, they had lots of energy. They could flat out run! I tried to take them out for a run every day. Ron mowed around the perimeter of our upper pasture, and three times around is 1.2 miles. That took me about 22 minutes, and I tried to walk that every morning. They’d get so excited. As soon as I opened the door, they’d be out and almost out of sight before I could get off the porch. It didn’t take long for Velvet to come back and check on me. When she did, I'd give her a treat and snap the leash onto her collar. Pretty soon, Ebony would come to find out where Velvet was. I'd give Ebony a treat and switch the leash to her collar, letting Velvet go. Every so often, I'd switch the dogs. Velvet stayed close. She wanted to know where I was and often came over to try playing tug of war with the leash. But when it was Ebony’s turn off the leash, she roamed hard and fast and often out of my sight. Eventually she'd come back, but it appeared that she was more interested in seeing if maybe she could get Velvet to go running with her than in being with me.
At first, I had a really hard time trying to decide which dog I liked better. But I know now - mostly because of those daily walks. Velvet kept her eyes on me. She wanted to please me. Even when they are both running free at the start of the walk, she'd come back to check on me very quickly. Even when Ebony was enticing her away, Velvet often looked back at me like she couldn’t decide who she’d rather be with. She had definitely decided that I’m her master.
Even today, Ebony is a very nice dog, very smart, very sweet. But she is not that interested in a close relationship with me - at least when we’re outside. She is interested in running and getting Velvet to run with her. Even in the house, it is Velvet who sleeps at my feet. I have to be careful when I get up from my desk because Velvet’s often right there.
It’s interesting because it’s a self-perpetuating cycle. Because she’s right there, she’s the one who gets to lick out the mixing bowl when I’m making cookies. Because she’s right there, she’s the one who gets the pat on the head when I stand up. Because she’s right there, she’s the one I talk to. Our relationship continues to grow stronger because she’s often so close to me. I know you can see the analogies. We need to keep our eyes on our Master. We should desire to be close to Him, in His presence whenever possible. The more time we spend with God, the stronger the relationship grows. We can see it - especially when the spiritual reality is played out in a physical relationship right in front of us.
RSS Feed