“Many times, every day, we are faced with choosing between right and wrong…good and bad…life and death…being faithful to God or ignoring his voice. Sometimes the choices are easy, and at other times they can require an uncomfortable amount of effort on our part. We can think about this effort as a battle between two German Shepherds, fighting to the death. As we watch them tear each other apart, the question of what choice we will make really becomes the question of which dog will win the fight?
And the answer is simple…the one that we feed the most.
The one that we feed the most. The good dog versus the bad dog. The choice to bless or curse.
We reap what we sow.
Envy, greed, sloth, pride…add the rest of the seven deadly sins to the list and you may begin to scratch the surface of which dog gets three square meals a day from me.
All too often, I find that I've been feeding the wrong dog. Do you?
Too many times I define my race by the hurdles rather than by the promise of success that lies ahead. Can you relate?
Too many times I make important decisions blindly, instead of praying for wisdom and instruction. Who among us hasn’t?
Too many times I avoid the door that God opens for me and instead, persist in trying to open one that I know has been closed for years. Sound familiar?
"I'd rather fight you for something I don't really want, than take what you give that I need."
Rich Mullins
A precious friend came to me recently with a concern that was weighing heavy on her heart. To this person I am many things…a boss…a resource…an educator…and a brother in Christ. It’s that last label that I’m most thankful for. We began to talk about her concern and as I listened, I knew that I was called at that moment to throw aside all other titles and to be there for her as a Christian. She needed someone to help her see the big picture and she chose me. Me…the Christian pouring double scoops of “Kibbles and Bits” into the bowl of the wrong dog.
On this particular day, I hadn’t made too many wise choices myself. I was having a very hard day and I didn’t really want to talk to anyone at the time; much less someone who needed me to do something for them. I just wanted to spend the afternoon wallowing in self-pity and making a mental list of all of the “wrongs” done to me by people who should have known better. The evening would have followed with a large amount of self-doubt and self-degradation because if I were a better person, or at the very least more worthy, then I would have had a better day. Truth be told, I was not only feeding the wrong dog, I was serving prime rib!! And let’s just acknowledge that I’ve fed that dog for so long, if I tried to take away his food, I'd more than likely lose a limb. It would take an army to move that bowl from one cage to the other…good thing God an army at his disposal.
As I listened to my friend, I remembered that day, long ago at HPU, and I realized that I had a choice to make. I could tell her that she had the wrong guy, or I could take a minute and pull for the literal “underdog” in the fight for my spirit. She needed help that for some reason, God decided only I could give; and I thought that he must be out of his mind. So we sat together and joined hands to pray. But before the first word issued forth from my mouth, I said a quick prayer and asked the Father to completely remove me from the equation. I wanted to be faithful to both Him and the needs of my friend; even though I felt completely unworthy and ill-qualified. It’s amazing how quickly Christ works. I’m not sure what I prayed, but I know this to be true…the words spoken from my mouth were most definitely not from my mind. The Holy Spirit intervened and gave her the words that she needed to hear while allowing her heart to be touched by God.
How does this work? I haven’t the foggiest idea. What I do know is this…on that day;
Was it an easy choice? Maybe not as easy as you think. The easy choice would have been to be left alone, pointing the finger at others and blaming myself for all the things that I thought must be going wrong with my life. Sounded like a perfectly good choice to me…but not to God. Did God choose for me to help her, or was it the other way around? I think the answer is both.
He knows me better than I know myself. And he loves me enough to remind me to feed the right dog as often as possible.
He believes in me even, when I don't want to believe in myself. He reminds me that someone is going to be fed today...and the choice is mine to make.
What about you?
Which dog are you feeding today?
What about you?
Which dog are you feeding today?
Which cage have you been spending the most time in lately?
If it’s the wrong one…remember, God has experience in the bowl moving department.
If it’s the wrong one…remember, God has experience in the bowl moving department.
