Desert Journey – Day 33
Every morning my neighbor, who lives two doors down, walks his dog. When they get in front of my home, the dog stops and refuses to take another step. As I sit in my den and observe, it makes me chuckle. The only way the dog moves forward is for the owner to take her off leash. So, after a brief tug-of-war and some discussion, the owner unleashes the dog, and they continue their walk.
Maybe the dog was awaken from her slumber and prefers to sleep, after all, they walk quite early. Perhaps, the dog wants to walk at her own pace and the owner is rushing to get back home so he can leave for work. Whatever the reason, the dog has a mind of her own. It sure offers some comic relief each morning.
Free will, allows us the choice to follow or not. The Lord never drag us into submission. I suppose we are like the dog off leash, we have a choice to come along.
I want to follow Jesus without wandering. Holy Week is fast approaching and I sense a slight hesitation within, a tug-of-war if you will. The upcoming story is painful and heart-wrenching and hard to fully internalize the depth of sacrifice. I want to remain by his side, however, it is easy to look the other way, so many did. I want to offer Jesus comfort for what he will endure. Again, my comfort seems so insignificant in light of his impending suffering.
For now, I walk next to him and stay close. Holy Spirit, help me be faithful.
Very interesting. Free will was the double edged sword of the fall of Eden, right? It was what we wanted, and yet it was our downfall. Does God want us tethered to Him, I wonder? When considered in the context of a parent-child relationship, we desire our children to develop discernment and independence, though we still want to have a relationship with them. I wonder how that compares to what God desires from us, since we are always his child?
Leslie, I think it is neat that the dog stops in your viewing, giving you the inspiration to write this post and share with others. Quite a humorous picture prompting us to think about our own free will.
I’ve been trying to find which day mentioned conforting Jesus…still thinking about that and would like to reread that day….
It might be Day 29 🙂
Yes! Thank you very much. Planning to share this with my small group for a lectio divina and sharing.
❤️
I think the desire to comfort Jesus is a natural instinct of our hearts as women. I think of the image of the Pieta, Mary holding Jesus in her arms after He was removed from the cross, as a beautiful example of the heart of a woman, a mother~