If you've followed Key Tov Blog for very long, you know we have a wonderful dog named Bo. He is a wonderful, obedient, loving dog. He is a rich blessing to our family.
There are activities Bo loves and there are activities Bo hates.
He loves to go bird hunting.
He hates to get a bath.
Bo has been bird hunting a lot lately. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday the last two weekends and he's hunting again this upcoming weekend. Bo will hunt from daylight to dark!
Due to all that hunting, he needed a bath today. Bo's bath is a huge joke at my house. He runs. We laugh. He hides. We laugh. He pouts. We laugh. It is hilarious how much he hates his bath.
My middle child gathered Bo's bathing paraphernalia. Bo knows the drill. As soon as he saw his bath items come out of the cabinet, he ran to Mike in hopes Mike could rescue him out of getting bathed. Nope. And he pouted the whole time he was being bathed. My girls took him for a walk after his bath so he could dry off before coming back inside.
As always, the "joke" was on Bo. He was upset while we were all laughing at him over his behavior.
Mike and I were sitting outside on our lanai about to eat breakfast when Bo came back into the house. He ran to the door as if to tattle on the girls. Again, we laughed. Bo isn't allowed to sit near the table while we eat so we told him to go back inside. He turned around, stuck his tail between his legs, and slowly walked back inside, and laid down…right inside the door. Again, we laughed. Then he went a step further, and stuck his front paw just outside the door.
We laughed again and I said, "That's like doing what I said, but not doing it all the way, and with a bad attitude." We left him there and didn't say a word to correct him.
All through breakfast, Bo continued to adjust his body weight in an attempt to relieve the pain and pressure on his own body! All the while, leaving his leg outside the door. Not doing anything to help himself. All he had to do was move his leg and put his whole body inside!
Obedience.
Every time he adjusted and groaned we laughed at him. I thought, it would be way easier (and less painful) for him to just do what I said. The floor is way more comfortable than laying on those sliding glass door tracks!
He was mad and pouting while the rest of us went happily about our day.
Then. All the sudden. My heart cried out, "Oh Lord my Lord, for all the times I didn't do what I knew to do, but instead made adjustments here and there in an effort to relieve self inflicted pain and pressure. How many times I've ran to You and tried to get out of doing something I knew I had to do, just like Bo ran to Mike to get out of having a bath! Thank You for Your Son who taught us, "Not my will, but Your will be done". Thank You for loving me enough to teach me follow through. Lord, create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me! Oh great is Your faithfulness! Oh great is Your unfailing love-love-LOVE! Thank You for showing me life lessons through the attitude and behavior of my dog! I will keep my heart and attitude connected with You and Your Word! I will attend to Your words, I will incline my ear to Your sayings! I will be willing, teachable, and obedient! Father, I pray for each reader right now. In the name of Jesus, I thank You for conviction that prompts us to get off the "tracks" we're on, stop making adjustments trying to relieve pain and pressure, and to just obey Your life giving Word! Forgive us for pouting! Forgive us for all the times we've known what to do and didn't do it. Thank You for forgiving us as we forgive others. Thank You for teaching us to operate in love, mercy, and grace to others as You have so graciously loved us and extended Your heart of mercy and grace to us!
James 4:17
Luke 22:42
Psalm 51:10
Lamentations 3-22, 23
Psalm 136
Psalm 37:23
Proverbs 4:20
Ephesians 4:32
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