As some of you may know I have a five month old, furry companion named Jackson. When he was born in November I simply could not resist him. With his tiny body and adorable little face I was completely in love from the start. As he grew, I was like a proud mama wanting to take him everywhere and show him to everyone. I took countless pictures of him and bragged on the adorable things that he did. In my opinion Jackson is one of the cutest dogs in the world and his personality matches his looks to a T. As precious as he can be we often have some obedience issues. Since I live on the school’s campus I do not want him playing around the kids while they are at school so I have to leave him inside. This creates all kinds of problems such as potty training, chewing on things that are not chew toys, and general curiosity. Depending on the week Jackson will have serious lack of bladder control as well as a need to chew ever cord in sight. These are the weeks when I contemplate getting rid of him all together; I think about how great my life was when my apartment did not smell like a dirty little dog, or when I did not have to cover my furniture with sheets just to keep him from getting everything dirty. One morning I think that he had in his head that he was going to systematically destroy my apartment so he threw up on my rug, took CD’s off one of my shelves, chewed a lamp cord, ripped up a picture that was in a frame, and managed to do all of it while I was in the shower! Needless to say, that was not a good day in our relationship. Yet, there is something about that little fluff of terror that draws me back every time.
Now do not get me wrong, Jackson does have some great qualities that come out more and more as he gets older. He loves people. Whenever there are people around Jackson wants to be there. He is always ready to play with whomever or whatever will have him. He seems to sense when people want to play and he is ready for the challenge. Secondly, it seems like he is always smiling, I know that is weird but I am convinced that he can smile. I can see the pure joy on his little face especially when he is doing his favorite activity, running through puddles, and when he wakes up in the morning and sees me. He is the most precious thing when I get up in the morning to get ready for school. He wakes up and starts wagging his tail and smothers me in kisses. I have no other choice other than to sit there and love on him for a little bit. Thirdly, he loves me more than anything. When he was only a few weeks old he could not even sleep unless he could see me and now I have to leave my door open so he can make sure I am okay in the middle of the night. He is incredibly protective and dedicated to my safety.
There is nothing that Jackson can offer me. He never offers to buy his own food. He does not clean up after himself. He cannot seem to wipe his paws before he comes in the house. He never helps me clean. And he definitely does not bathe himself. Jackson has nothing to give yet I still love him and take time to care for his every need. So you might think that this post has something to do with how God does that for us. How we have nothing to give him yet he takes care of our every need. Although I have been learning that lesson as well that is not the stunning thing that I have learned from my furry friend. I have learned something about faith and listening.
Jackson likes to wander off. He loves to find adventure such as running through the ditch or barking at the horse or visiting the school. When his is in the middle of some such adventure with his partner in crime Andy’s dog XC, he completely shuts his ear off. He either does not hear or does not pay attention to me when I call him to come inside. Most of the time when this happens I get frustrated and try to find him and when I do he knows he is in trouble. The little thing has an insatiable desire to do things his own way and if he does not want to come to me he won’t. I absolutely hate it when I call his name and he comes close enough for me to see him only for him to turn and run the opposite way. One day last week we were on a walk on campus and he had wandered up the hill to find some critter in the woods when I began to call his name to go back home. When he did not come for a while I just began to walk back. Every once and a while I would turn around and call him but he was nowhere in sight. As I walked back God began to reveal to me that I was so much like Jackson. I have a tendency to do things my own way. I always want to do what I have in mind before I do what God desires for me. So often I see what God wants and I hear his voice and simply turn and run the other way because it is not what I would choose to do. Even though God has something absolutely incredible for me I continue to want things done my way and in my time. I fail to listen to my master’s call because I am so distracted by what is right in front of me.
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| Jackson from a few months ago |
As I continue to grow up in my spiritual life I am finding more and more that maturity does not come from some kind of hidden knowledge, it comes from humbling ourselves enough to learn from the simplest things in creation. God has great things for each of us if we listen when he calls and come when he asks.
