The Master’s Pace

As is evident in the blogs I’ve been posting lately, I do a lot of walking, with and without the dog. But I can’t help it if that’s when inspiration strikes.

The dog I take walks with is a puppy, not a year old yet. But in dog years, I would say he’s in the ‘terrible’ twos at the moment. Not that he’s terrible at all, because he’s a pretty good little tyke. What I mean is that while he is trained to do many things all dogs should know how to do, he often does them in his own sweet time with a look on his face that says to me, “Only because I want that treat in your hand.” He is clearly telling me I have not conquered his will in any terms.

So while we’re on walks, I try to keep it structured as far as staying on one side of me, not running into the street, walking at an even pace that matches mine… not ‘heel’ necessarily, but equivalent.

What does little Samson do? Well, he rarely heels. More often than not, he’s lagging behind me, stopping to sniff something, stopping to sit in the shade, running into the street after a blowing leaf, running ahead to catch a bird, trying to pick up in his teeth all sorts of curiosities, most of which are pretty nasty.

I feel bad for the fella, but I’m constantly yanking on the chain and saying, “Come on.” Even after the 5-second rule –my allotment for stopping when he just really has to stick his nose into a tuft of grass for a prolonged whiff – I’m tugging the leash, cheering him on, telling him he’s a ‘good boy’ even though he hasn’t managed to stay at my side for more than ten seconds at a time the entire walk.

I’d get frustrated, but he’s a dog, you know? And a puppy with limited home-training.

But this morning, when I’d rather been taking a rapid walk, not a stop-walk-sniff-tug, I wondered if God sees me like I was seeing Samson at that moment.

Our ‘walk’ would be far more pleasant, wouldn’t it, if we kept pace with God? Wherever He was going at whatever gait He took, sticking right by His side, stopping when He stopped, walking when He walked, running when He ran.

Instead, though, we run ahead chasing things that only fly away, fall behind to stick our noses in someone else’s nasty business, resist following to laze in some cool grass in the shade, or spend time on distractions that would harm us if we picked them up. All the while, God is gently tugging us, saying ‘Come on’ because the path He’s laid out is nothing but the best.

It’s not a matter of His breaking our will, but of us surrendering it to go Master’s Pace.

Happy Weekending, Dry Ground Friends! Be blessed!

(photo by photobucket.com)