A Stray

The other day I was sitting in the parking lot waiting for a friend when I saw a dog scampering about the lot, seeming lost but okay with it. A group of teenagers who were hanging out at the coffee shop attempted to approach the dog, who promptly turned and walked away. He hadn't gone far when he turned around to look at the kids who had pursued him. I suppose one of the boys counted this as a cue to chase after the dog, who of course ran again. This chase and stop game continued for some minutes before the teens apparently gave up and returned to the coffee shop. Unable to satisfy his curiosity, the dog, still keeping his distance, gazed at the gaggle of kids now sitting, talking, and laughing together. One of the boys broke from the group and approached the dog, more slowly and cautiously this time. I watched him dote: whistle, make kissing noises, speak softly, tiptoe, and finally sit on the grass on a median in the middle of the parking lot. Over the next ten minutes, the space between the boy and the dog decreased sparsely, but consistently. When I began this note, I thought the message was about God's timing. In our society, if we want something, we go get it. See an infomercial: go online and we will ship it to you for 40% off. Want the new phone your neighbor just got: call your provider for an upgrade. Want a dog: go chase one in the parking lot... Because this is our culture, we often fail to recognize the importance of timing. We are used to making our own timing, our own success, our own dreams come true. God's timing is very different. See, he took 7 days to accomplish what we couldn't begin to dream of in a lifetime. So when we pursue something, we may or may not get it. When we wait on God's timing, we still may or may not get what we want, but we will get closer to what is best for us, and usually learn valuable lessons along the way. That's what I thought this message was about. However, as I recounted the story of the lost dog who sought a relationship with but couldn't trust the teenage boy enough to approach him, I considered that we must look like that to our Daddy: lost and hurt, afraid and hesitant. We have trouble trusting that anyone would want to love us when we have been hurt so many times before. God is chasing after us, and sometimes that scares us. But, he is a loving father and he wants that relationship more than anything, so he also sent one before us so we could enter into his presence and he also chose us to live the life we have today and he will also: call after us, approach us gently, dote on us, sit down, and wait for us. His arms are open. When we trust him, we find our home. Daddy, Thank you for your perfect timing and that even when we think we have it figured out (but we really don't), you are waiting to provide all the love and comfort we need. Give us patience and wisdom to wait on you and understand your timing. Thank you that you pursue us and dote on us as a loving shepherd looking after his sheep, and give us the peace and trust necessary to approach you to receive your healing within our spirits. It is in Jesus's name we pray, Amen