Cross Training
“Do not remember the
former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall
spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And
rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:28
I have been helping my friend take her Great Dane through dog
training. Some of the basic commands we are working on with her are sit, stay,
let’s go, and leave it. The dogs also
need to learn to come when they are called. This is where my Benji falls down
on the job. He comes when he is called
as long as he feels like it. These commands
are important for the dog as well as the owners. Sit is most important when the
dog is working around other people. Some dogs are very busy and want to jump or
“meet and greet”. The Great Dane is a lot of dog to be jumping on people;
especially people who are older of have balance issues in general. Stay is
usually the next step. The dog is supposed to sit or lie down and then stay
where they are while the owner walks away. The owner goes different distances
and is gone for different times to teach the dog to wait until she comes back. When
the owner comes back and is ready for the dog to do something else she says, “Let’s
go”. Leave it is important when
something is on the floor that the dog wants. This command trains them to pay
attention to the owner and also to leave something alone that may be dangerous
or bad for them.
What about in our Christian lives? Personally, I hate it when God
tells me to sit. I feel the desperate urge to be busy either working or doing
kingdom work. It’s not even always about needing to make more money. Sometimes
it is about earning a good name or even distracting myself from things that are
going on in my head. There are verses that I have been hearing over and over
this week. Psalms 46:10 says, “Be still
and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the heavens, and exalted in the
earth. “Another is “In quietness and trust will be your strength. (Isaiah
30:15) I have been reminded that God gave us Sabbath for a reason. That has been
a hard lesson because I did not grow up with the tradition of Sabbath. I am
refreshed and renewed when I do have a time of quiet.
As much as I hate “sit”, I really hate “stay”. I am always pushing myself to do better, to
get a better, “more important” job. I push myself in my ministry wanting to
reach more people. Even though I have mostly
worked this out, I still want to be able to write like Rick Warren and have the
reach that he does. Also, I have to
admit that in the last few weeks I have wondered where God is and when He is
going to hear us. The scriptures I hear in these times are Zechariah 4:10 “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin”, and Philippians 1:6. "He who completed a good work in you will be faithful to complete it." When I am uncomfortable waiting
on God and wondering where He is and what he is doing, I can lean on verses
like Lamentations 3:19, which says, “The steadfast love of the Lord never
ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is
your faithfulness, Oh Lord”.
As hard as it is to wait on God, it is just as hard when he
says, “Let’s go.” Peter was excited when Jesus told him to get out of the boat,
but he looked down at the waves and got scared. The same verses will help us
whether it is time to stay and wait on God or go and do his work.
Finally, just like we want animals
to come when they are called, let’s try to do the same thing when we hear God’s
voice. In John chapter 10 Jesus is telling His disciples that he is the Good
Shepherd and says, “My sheep hear me and know my voice and the voice of another
they will not quickly follow.” This week, tune out the voice of fear, the voice
of shame, and the voice of complaining. Listen for the voice of your shepherd,
who has great faithfulness and new mercies every morning.
