Of dogs and the Holy Spirit

When I first came to the Netherlands I was quite a young Christian. I remember being frustrated at how much I didn’t know and thrilled at how much I could learn. I am still caught in this dichotomy and enjoying it as much. But back then I would take a walk each evening to clear my head and just think and pray. There was a beautiful park close to where I lived and I enjoyed walking there. It was there, while watching someone walking their dog, that I saw for the first time how the Holy Spirit worked at times in my life.

I don’t remember now exactly what was going on, but I had been reading that evening in my Bible (often trying to read in Dutch as well) and that evening I was able to put some things together. Just watching that dog put together some of the points that had been made in the Word barely an hour before. And it made sense because I could see it (I am visual and tend to visualize a lot of things). I believe that that is how the Holy Spirit works. Of course, if I don’t put any of God’s Word into my head and heart, then there is not much for Him to work with.

Yesterday the Holy Spirit was teaching me through Snuffles. Snuffles – for those of you who may not know – has been our dog for the last year and a half (for an interesting lesson concerning “our” dog, click here and see "Finally 'ours'"). She was born with tunnel vision and is basically blind. Since she doesn’t smell that well either, she is pretty wary of other dogs. As a matter of fact, she will attack first in order to make sure that she is not attacked.

This has several consequences for our walks. First of all, she likes to stay on the beaten path. She does NOT want to run off into the grass or whatever, because more than likely she will get some twig poked in her eye or fall off the edge of the road into the canal beside our road. If we go off the path, she has to stay right close to me (following me) to be sure that she doesn’t get in any trouble. And I have to take a path that is not dangerous for her. Where it is safe, she is free to roam around and get spooked every once in a while by the sounds of the rabbits in the bush. She can stretch herself and try new things. She knows I am close by.
Secondly, Snuffles is most ferocious with other dogs when she is on the line. She knows that I am going to pull her back. I have been trying to teach her to be calm around other dogs. But at the same time, I DO have to protect her from other dogs. Some dogs want to bite her head off (and could do with no great difficulty!) If she is loose (which I do when I know no dogs will be around), she is actually a scaredy-cat and stays nice and close.
Finally, she trusts me to keep her out of trouble – I am her eyes. I know when things are approaching and can see the whole picture. She only sees what is right in front of her (and can’t even see that half of the time!). When we drop a special snack for her, we usually have to tap the floor until she finally finds it!

So the HS pointed out how similar we are, Snuffles and I. If I am to stay safe, it’s good to be in close contact with God. Now it may sound strange, or even upsetting to think of this as a leash, but the only reason the leash is there with Snuffles is to make sure she doesn’t fall in the canal or get eaten by big German shepherds. God sees the whole picture, where we often only see what is right in front of us (and not even that half the time!).
When we are loose, it is in a safe environment, although we may not think so at times. And God will always keep us safe, so we need to trust him. When he says we are okay, we shouldn’t be growling like vicious animals (and I think about how we treat one another sometimes – attack first and think later).
Psalm 119:105 says that the Word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path, but 1 John 1:7 reminds us that we WALK in the light as HE is in the light. Having the light isn’t everything – we are walking along. And if we stop, the light continues and we are left in the dark. One of the most endearing things about Snuffles is how she always runs back to me to make sure that I am still there. She hears me, turns around with a little jump and confident walk, and heads back out to find out what is ahead, knowing that she is okay – I am there. Good thoughts. Amazing what the Holy Spirit can do with a dog and a walk.