Off the Leash! (Another dog story)

This past week, for the very first time, I let our new dog Sadie off the leash on the beach.  It was an exciting time for her—and, I have to admit, a bit scary for me. I was especially nervous about whether or not she would come back to me when I called. After all, when we I let her loose at the dog park, she is in a fenced-in area. And although I know that at the dog park, she will always return to me, on the beach I was not so sure; on the beach, there are no fences. 

I started with a 50 ft. training leash to get her used to coming back to me from a further distance. That seemed to help a bit, but I was still nervous. Eventually the moment came, when I took off the leash. Sadie ran around a bit, came back towards me, and then took off again, this time going a bit further away. She got splashed by the ocean water that suddenly came up around her and even rolled around in the sand.  She chased a few sea gulls and got excited as they took off in flight. And, of course, she sniffed and sniffed and sniffed.  Then at one point, it seemed that she wasn’t going to come back to me. I called “come” a few times, but she just kept walking away with her nose to the ground.  I felt like she was ignoring me. Finally, when I started walking in the opposite direction, she caught me out of the corner of her eye, heard my call, and came running towards me at full speed. When she got back to me, I praised her and gave her a hug and a treat.  It was an exhilarating moment for the both of us—well, maybe more for me!

Sadie and I on the beach earlier in the season!

There are times in our lives when each one of us is like Sadie was on the beach that day.  We want to be close to our Master, but we have a tendency to get distracted and side-tracked by all the stuff that is around us. At times we even become a bit rebellious, ignoring the voice of God. Suddenly one day we realize that we are further away from Him than we ever thought we would be, wondering whether or not we’ll ever make it back to him or whether or not he will accept us back.  Yet, the whole time that we are wandering, distracted by the things of this life, if we listen closely, we will hear him calling us to “come.” 

Jesus gives the invitation, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28 – NIV) At another time he describes a son who, after a period of wandering—actually falling deep into sin—decided he needed to get back home to his father. How would his father react when his son returned? Jesus said that dad ran to his son, welcoming him home with hugs, kisses, tears, and a huge welcome home party! In fact, Jesus says, “I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents (i.e. turns around and returns home!)” (Luke 15:10 – NIV) God always celebrates when someone responds to his call to “come”—when someone returns to him. 

If you’ve been out wandering for a bit, maybe wondering whether or not God will accept you back, hear his voice calling to you today to “come.”  In fact, if you will return, he has a great blessing in store for you,

“My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.” (Jeremiah 24:6-7 –NIV)

Have a great day.

Pastor Tim Harris