Who's Your Leader?

Whenever we’re outside, we have to lead our dog around the obstacles or he’ll wrap himself around the boulders or chairs and get hung up. See, we connect him to the 40-food lead and let him roam, within reason. But I’m also an amateur gardener and with all the time and TLC I’ve invested in these lilies, if his lead saws them off at the stem before they bloom, I will not be a happy woman. :) So, I’ve put up chairs to protect my small flower bed. Guess where Jack (our mini-dachsie) always gets himself wrapped up?? Right there, around those prized lilies.

You see, there’s a right way to maneuver in our yard, and a wrong way. Now, adults figure it out right away. Children do, too. But our dog . . . ? Not so much. So, Jack needs a leader, someone who shows him where to go and where not to go. Someone who can get him unstuck if he doesn’t follow. Someone with a big picture point of view.

Sounds like life to me. We need God’s help, because from His perspective, He can help us navigate life’s obstacles.

Which leads me to point number two: Our dog has a choice whether or not to follow. If he decides he knows better—spies a “shortcut” and takes it—he’ll end up snagged or stuck. Or worse, he’ll decapitate those lilies I mentioned earlier and then, watch out pooch! ;D

God is a loving leader. He can see the obstacles so much better than we can. He knows there are no shortcuts to good character (drat!) and that there’s a right way and a wrong way to get places. Wisdom urges us to follow.

And point number three: sometimes, when our dog gets himself tangled up, he still has some lead, but it’s shorter than before because he didn’t follow the leader (us).

When we decide we know better than God and trust ourselves, our freedom becomes progressively limited. Areas we were once free to roam and explore are no longer open to us. God puts us where we’ve proven ourselves trustworthy—when we’re faithful with little, we’ll be given much. When we go off on our own, neglecting dependence, (without Him we can do nothing), our freedom is restricted. We basically get ourselves in a knot and our lives will need some unraveling.

I’m glad God’s there to take care of us then. But, again, wisdom beckons us to follow from the beginning.

So, who’s your leader? Through our pup, I’m learning the folly of thinking I know the best route. Better to let God show me, and then follow His lead.