There is an old familiar saying that says: “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks!”  Well, I really don’t know about that, but I came to realize not long ago that a new dog can teach you some old truths! The adorable pooch your see in the picture is our new dog. His name is Buddy. Buddy likes to run and play: ALL THE TIME!

One day, I was taking Buddy for a walk when he saw a squirrel, broke loose from his leash and took off in hot pursuit. Needless to say, Buddy didn’t catch the squirrel, but he did catch my wrath! After I ran out of breath trying to catch him, I turned around and headed for home. When Buddy finally came out of the woods and came to me, I spanked him and placed him in his carrier. The next morning, when I took Buddy out for his morning walk, I lectured Buddy once again on the error of his ways, in my spirit I heard the Lord saying:  “You can learn some lessons about how I deal with you from Buddy!”

So, here are the lessons I learned from Buddy: First of all, although we allow him to roam freely inside around the house, we put Buddy on a leash when he is outside because he would run away if we allowed him complete freedom. Well, God has a leash (His Law and His Word) on us and although He allows us a certain amount of freedom, if there were absolutely no restrictions, we would run wild! Now even though Buddy doesn’t appreciate it, the leash is really for his good. If Buddy was allowed complete freedom on the outside, he would run away or run into the streets and get hit by a car! The leash that God has on us is for our good, even though we often resist and try to break free from it. The Lord spoke through the Prophet Jeremiah saying: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11 ESV) Remember those words the next time you feel the Lord is “cramping your style!”

Now although Buddy doesn’t like being on a leash, being on a leash while he is outside is the best thing for him. And while he doesn’t know or appreciate that, I certainly do! Well, there are some things that we can’t and don’t know, but God does! He knows what’s best for us and we need to learn to trust Him and believe that He always has our best interest in mind. Just as my actions and motives are above and beyond Buddy’s understanding, many of God’s actions and motives are above and beyond our scope of comprehension. But we do have an advantage over Buddy! God has given us the revelation of His way and His will through His word in a manner we can understand.

Now, if I could just teach Buddy how to read the Bible, maybe he might understand too! LOL!