Two short months ago!

We have had Scout the wonder puppy for about two and a half months now, and in that time, he has literally tripled in size!  It is a growth spurt that is hard to miss, and it makes me consider my own growth as a Christian.  There are times, when it’s been obvious, but a lot more times when it felt (and looked) like nothing was happening.  As we press on to know God and reveal his love to others, we are changed.  We mature.  Every time we wait patiently.  Every time we cling to faith and refuse to give way to fear, we grow.  Isn’t that good news?

In my time with the pup, I have read bits and pieces and chunks of many books on puppy training.  One in passage in particular stands out in my mind because it addresses the command, “come.”  I feel like if I have a little puppy treat in my hand and I am standing by the kitchen next to the fridge, and I holler, “Scout, come!” and he comes, I am doing great!  Well, yes, this is a good start for a puppy.  But, ultimately, I want Scout to be so obedient and so attuned to pleasing me that if he is in the middle of exploring a really exciting scent, eating some really good dog food, or wandering around the far reaches of the land that when he hears my voice say “Come,” he immediately drops the scent, leaves the food, turns for home and comes.  That kind of obedience…that level of training takes a lot of practice and repetition.  I have had Scout run to me over a pretty far distance, galloping along as fast as his little puppy legs would carry him, and that was exciting…

So, naturally, I have to make the spiritual connection.  I’m not there yet.  I want to be, but I’m not.  When I hear God calling my name, if I am sitting in church, well, that’s rather convenient.  What about when it’s 3:30 a.m. and sleep is very enticing–can I pull myself out of the warm bed and come?  Can I leave the riveting chapter in the novel unfinished, leave the chocolate cake half-eaten, cut-short the chatty phone call, and come?  I am working on it.  It motivates me a lot to imagine the joy our heavenly Father experiences when we obey him immediately in any and all circumstances.

This the adolescent Scout on his couch.