I took my two little dogs for a walk this morning. They are just so cute, trotting along side by side, sniffing 
the air and taking in the sights. I must admit I don’t walk them often because they get plenty of exercise running about the house and yard. And, frankly, I have been too lazy to walk them.
But, after strict instructions from the Dr. to exercise 60 minutes each day, I headed out for my first of many walks. As we made our way through the neighborhood both the dogs and I were as happy as could be. The sun felt good on my face and I was sure it must have felt good for Lucy and Molly as they kept lifting their little heads towards the sky, fluffy dog hair blowing in the wind. Sweet moment. Perfect. Made me smile.
Then out of nowhere it happened….a small feisty dog got away from its owner’s grasp and came barreling towards my dogs. It was smaller but fierce. Barking like an angry enemy, this little dog scared my dogs to death, and actually tried to attack them. That is, until I pulled on the leash and got them close to my side, shooing away the mean dog.As we continued walking I assured my dogs ( as if they could understand) not to worry, because I had hold of them and I would keep them safe.
Ah-Ha…Oh, I SEE Moment!
“Ah-Ha” moment as those words came out of my mouth…I was reminded of how God has me tethered to His leash, and when the angry enemy of my soul and life comes barking, God pulls me closer to His side, and protects me. He tells me over and over in His word that he is faithful to have the reign of my life, just as I held the reign of my dogs leash. I am attached to HIS lead and so are you.
I wondered what my “angry dog” was today. Heart disease? Insecurity? Inability? What was barking and growling pretending to threaten my safety?
I pondered this through out the hour walk. Paying attention to how I was leading the dogs where to go and stopping with them when they needed a little rest. I watched the leash, it’s secure hook and how it safely attached them to me. And though this is silly walk- day spirituality, it is really pretty powerful to me this morning.
Why? I have just come off of a week that ended up differently than I had planned. I woke up with chest pains and nausea, and was in the ER before most people were drinking their morning coffee. Later admitted, I spent the rest of the week, monitored, tested, and wondering what was going on in my body. I confess to moments of fear and some other moments of frustration and anxiety. I was hooked up to IV and all several heart leads, so it wasn’t as if I could just escape….And, truth is, nothing I was going through escaped God’s sight and I was never undone from His leash…I was in the hospital, but still hooked up to Him.
The Journey Into Joy
This year began with the word JOY. And, boy has it been different than I anticipated. Joy is something that is complex, yet beautifully simple. And, first things first, the main way to find our way to joy is by placing ourselves before JESUS each and every day. In His presence…or before Him…is the fullness of joy. Here is where the problem is: we forget. We are good for awhile, and then we forget. We move about in self strength, self protection, and man made ideas. We search the Internet for everything we need, gain more knowledge than we ever had before, but are lacking peace and are visiting medical centers in droves asking for something to ease our inner turmoil and depressed moods. We are a searching people…and friends, right now I am talking about Christian people. We search for things that have been laid out for us already. But, because they seem simple we dismiss them.
Today on my walk the Lord challenged me, ” Debbie what would happen if you reflected all day on how I have you tethered to me just as these dogs are tethered to you right now? What would happen if you remembered the advance of the angry dog, and your swift pull to protection for the little dogs who were in your care? Would you develop more security? Would that security give you more peace? Would that peace lead you to place everything before me because I am safe? Would that laying life before me make way for more joy? “
Yes, I am journeying into Joy, and it is not making my mind up to be happy. It is not putting on a smile or wearing a joy mask. It is a very intentional walk with Jesus that requires me to remember. Remember His love, His protection, His Faithfulness and His Power.
How about you? If you believed today that God had you hooked up to Him, all your details, all your life stuff…how would your process through today?
Joy is not an umbrella, it is a daily journey
One day at a time we journey into His presence doing these three things:
- Jesus First….Lord I give you this day, I surrender this day, I come into your presence this day. As cheesy as it may sound…What would Jesus Do? What did Jesus say about this? How shall I then live in His plan and design for me? A discipline of practicing being In his presence, wherever you may be, mindful of Him and His presence with you. Mindful of that leash that is holding you, guiding you, protecting you.
- Others…esteem others higher than yourself, recognize they are valuable to God, quit pointing the finger at them and begin loving and taking steps of service towards them.
- Yourself…No one can surrender to God for you, it is personal and you have to make the step daily. It’s not a salvation insurance lifestyle, but a surrendered obedience lifestyle. Everything about you is to be surrendered and cared for, as you don’t belong to SELF anymore.
Debbie,
You are truly an inspiration. I’ve been following your posts on Facebook and my prayers are with you constantly. Your analogy of the dog leash in this blog is wonderful…yes we often forget that we too are tethered to our most LOVING GOD and HE will keep us close and safe. God Bless you…praying for you.
“If you believed today that God had you hooked up to Him, all your details, all your life stuff…how would your process through today?”
I envision a little girl, maybe 5 years old, holding her daddy’s hand without a worry in the world. She knows that wherever he is taking her that she is safe, protected, cared for and loved. She has confidence that all the details of her day will happen as he wills and she can trust him with the details, she doesn’t worry.
A little girl without a worry in the world. Now, that is a picture most of us can relate to. If we didn’t have it, we wished we did, but the good news is…We DO NOW.
I love your word pictures. I am a very visual person so this form of teaching is something I can grasp. Simplistic yet profound. We loyal readers walk with you on this Journey into Joy. So, on behalf of those of us who are among the “simpleminded”, thanks for the visual aides along the way.