Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of
witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us
down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with
endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes
on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy
awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in
the place of honor beside God's throne. (Hebrews 12:1, NLT)
We have a
dog named, Bo. He is a wonderful family dog. He also is a Certified Visitation
Therapy Dog. His primary work is to visit patients in a long term care
facility. You can learn more about Bo’s work at the link:
For the past
several months, we have also been training him to hunt birds. One key element
in hunting birds is the “here” command. Once we give him that command, he is to
run to our feet as quickly as possible.
I apologize
to all cat lovers in advance before making the next statement. Bo has a very
strong dislike for small furry creatures, including cats. It may be because he
thinks they are mongoose, which he also strongly dislikes. He knows how
to shakes hands, he sits, holds, and comes here, but for some reason, he has
not enveloped the “don’t chase the neighbor’s cats” command.
To help him
overcome the temptation to chase a cat when he sees it, I say, “here”. I keep
saying “here” until he pays attention to me instead
of the cat. Once he looks me in the eye, I talk to him until his focus is fully on me and not the cat. Once
he is refocused and the temptation has passed, we are free to continue our
stroll.
What are
your temptations? Once a temptation rears its ugly head, immediately run to the feet of
Jesus! Keep your eyes on Him! And you will be free to continue your stroll!
