Why she does it, I don't know. Our pup. When will she learn?
Oreo, our 5 month old puppy, jumped the fence again today and ended up down the road. Now, mind you, we live right off the "beach road". Although it isn't a bustling metropolitan... there are cars (and tractors) that come up and down our road frequently. But, she hasn't any idea what she is doing. She doesn't get what harm's way she is putting herself into... when she hops the wall to our yard. Something has attracted her attention--- another dog, a kid, or a cat. Who knows what it is that pushes (or pulls) her to do it; but, she jumps over the fence once again.
What our pup doesn't realize, of course, is that the safest place for her is within our walls. She is most free and most safe within our boundaries. But, still, she jumps.
It doesn't take a rocket scientists to get where I am going with this one... God's boundaries. We feel hemmed in sometimes and jump. We peer over that fence, God's commands, and something... something attracts us, pushes us, pulls us to jump the fence.
Oreo, our puppy, doesn't have to go very far to be smack in the middle of the busy road.
We don't have to go very far from God's boundaries to be smack dab in the middle of a danger---
We, unlike our pup, rationalize why the fence jumping is okay. We convince ourselves that we won't walk very far from the fence.
Oreo is much more simple. She just jumps. No rationalization. She is dopey.
I don't have that excuse.
Do we welcome Oreo back into our yard when she is found? Yes, of course! We are all mixed up with relief and frustration. With a stern "no, no" we put her on the chain. We hate putting her on the chain. But, we must. She isn't safe near the fence and she needs to begin to understand that jumping the wall means a chain later.
Our puppy is given much more freedom when she obeys.
Obedience leads to freedom. Obedience leads to trust.
We are always welcomed back. Each time Father welcomes us, with love... mixed "relief and frustration"... and then He disciplines us and puts on a chain until we learn to obey.
We have a saying in our home: It is better to obey than to say "I am sorry". We take the "sorry" of course and are grateful for real repentance. But, it is much better to see obedience.
"But Samuel replied: "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams." 1 Samuel 15:22
Why she does it, I don't know.
When will I learn?