Lessons Learned.

I thank God that He uses the most mundane of situations to teach me great life lessons. The realizations are often spectacular, and teamed with the unexpected activity of the time, often collaborate for good story telling.

I get home tonight, drop my junk off in my room, and head back into the kitchen. Our three dogs (pug, pug, jack russell) are waiting eagerly for my return because, they are sure, it means lots of treats and hours of attention. The jack russell is "my" dog - which equates in this family to my giving her preferential treatment over the other dogs. She's a bit high-strung and often nervous, but I love her.

Anyway - we have a ton of those dog barrier gates set up to limit the location where our dogs can have accidents. Every time that I, or any person, gets close to a gate - our dogs jump up and run the other direction. Too many times my leg has kicked one of these over and scared the crap out of them - thus instilling for all future visits shear dog dread.

Once I get past the gate, I am free to instill upon the dogs all the love I can bear to release; no amount of ear scratching, belly rubbing, or other dog-related service is too much with these three.

But, tonight, as I am trying to use two hands to love three dogs the jack russell isn't cooperating...she's standing a bit too far off for reach - so I beckon her closer. As I reach out I say, "Come a bit closer, I can't love you unless you come closer."

And it hits me...God has said the same thing to me...to us. He beckons us to come close to Him to receive all that He is - all His love, compassion, mercy...Him. And I wonder why we wouldn't jump at that opportunity. And then I think of my dogs.

I don't come to God because I don't really trust Him. I mean, I do - but there is always that concern in the back of my head. Far too many times I've been scolded by God. Is He calling me close for love, or for discipline? Am I approaching Him correctly? What about these other dogs around me?

And no matter how many times I assure our dogs - they still run away when they see me coming from behind that gate - even when I hold out my hands in love and speak gently to them while crossing. That same cautiousness appears even in the most tender moments between us.

And so tonight I was reminded that God is calling out to me, telling me to come close to Him, to be embraced, to be loved - and to see my (oft) reaction to it. And I got a true taste of what it feels like to be rejected - to offer love to a response of reservation.

Neither was especially sweet, but both visions were very appreciated.

Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.