I am always amazed at what God uses to teach us more about Him. This past week, God used Tyler’s dog, Chief, to remind David and I of some valuable lessons. If God used a donkey to speak (Numbers 22:28), he can use a dog. Work with me here…

Chief is notorious for ” running off”. He is a black lab that Tyler takes hunting. He is a great dog, however if he gets on the scent of something, you can offer him steak and he ain’t coming back for a while. He totally ignores us, runs away- nose to the ground. He typically runs away for about an hour and returns, tail wagging, and gets love from us and we put him back in the fence. We repeat this daily…such is the life of David,Courtnay and Chief (Tyler is missing out on our daily “fun”; he has a job traveling through the week).

Last Tuesday night, we got home and did our daily routine. Chief went out and took off, but he wasn’t back in an hour…or two…or ten. We both looked everywhere for Chief with no luck. Wednesday morning, no Chief. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, no Chief. Our hearts were broken- where was he?

Sunday was Tyler’s birthday and as I heard him open the back door, I heard him yell something.  It was Chief. Tyler said, “Mom, I think he is hurt really bad.” He couldn’t walk well, he was skinny, thirsty, dirty and covered with ticks. We all start running around trying to address each of those needs. Chief was loved, hugged, cleaned, fed & nursed to where he could eventually stand on his own and walk with a pretty good limp.

With this severe limp, David was picking Chief up and taking him inside and outside to use the bathroom. While getting Chief some water, David looks up to see Chief walking. He thinks, “YAY”, until Chief starts to move pretty good on his three good legs. Away from David. Quickly. Chief is gone again. David comes inside in absolute astonishment, tells me what happens, and says, “Lust can make a three- legged dog run.” We have since concluded that Chief has found a girlfriend that will make him chew through a leash, limp in pain and do who knows what else to find this new “love”.

Isn’t this how we are without the truth of God and the restraint of the Holy Spirit? Our lusts can cause us to make choices that lead us into a life filled with sin. We eventually end up dirty, limping,and hurting with pain. We don’t even recognize who we have become. Left on our own, we keep going back to the destructive behaviors and choices that are wearing us out and eating us up. We hate what we do, but don’t have the strength to not keep doing what we have done. Paul describes this struggle perfectly in Romans 7:15-18, “ I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.  For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.“

Just like Chief that is limping his way back into the trouble that left him sick, dirty, and half dead, we do the same things. This is where the GOOD news of the gospel of Jesus Christ comes in. You don’t have to overcome your struggles alone. Ephesians 20:20-24 encourages us, “That, however, is not the way of life you learned  when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds;  and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Jesus gave His life so that you can have a new one. He died to give you both eternal and an abundant life. Romans 5:17 says, “For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!” Jesus loves us enough to change us. When we yield to Him, He changes our desires, cleans us up, feeds us, and gives us living water so that we never have to thirst again. It’s time for us to stop acting like three- legged dogs- limping after whatever pleases our flesh for the moment. When we accept Christ as our Savior, we are a new creation! ( 2 Corinthians 5:17) It is time for us to start acting like it by pursuing our faith and relationship in full obedience to Christ with passionate desire.

I pray that this speaks to us all and encourages us to let God have our struggles. I pray we can all pursue God the way He constantly pursues us.  I have to go now- looks like Chief is limping and picking up speed…

Courtnay Aycock