Recently, my wife and I acquired a new puppy–an eight-week-old
Chihuahua. We already owned a thirteen-year-old miniature Yorkshire
Terrier, but as she was getting quite old, we thought a new arrival
might perk her up. This episode got me thinking about a number of
analogies to the life of a true Christian. Sounds strange, doesn’t it,
but we can learn lessons in everything we do and are involved in.
I
meditated about how reliant dogs are on their new owner; how much they
put their trust in him; how vulnerable they can be, particularly if the
owner doesn’t have their best interests at heart; how they need
training; and also, how they look to their new owners for leadership.
Notice
how these concepts can apply to us, spiritually. On a spiritual plane,
we are to be totally reliant on God. He created us and for those in the
Church, He has called us to His way of life and a wonderful future in
the Kingdom of God if we endure to the end. By putting our trust in
Him, we can have peace of mind, knowing that God has our welfare and
well being at heart. We can be very vulnerable, but only if our
reliance and trust in Him is less than required. The great God does
have our best interests at heart–that is why He has called us into His
Family. Finally, with the leadership that He shows, we know that we are
in safe hands.
We should take very seriously the care that we can
have for our animals. But how much more care is God showing to all of
us who have the potential to be in His Family. To achieve our potential
will be the greatest prize of all!
