I walk my dog Mikey almost every day. From the moment I pick
up the leash, he is prancing with joy. Though old and with failing vision he
literally BOLTS out the door dragging me in unfettered glee for the first 100m
feet. And then…
THE ABRUPT STOP.
He smells. He pees. He tries to eat garbage.
I give the leash a gentle tug or call his name and we repeat
the above cycle.
Over and Over again, for the entire walk, we dance this
dance.
Most days I am calm with this and I patiently wait for him
and call his name… “Come on Mikey” and he responds to the gentle touch on the
leash as we move on. Sometimes I have to tug a bit harder to help him avoid the
really awful gross stuff in the road that must resemble McDonald French Fries
to dog noses.
Sometimes I get irritated. “Really Mikey??? No!No! Don’t eat
that!!! That is gross! Bad dogl! Come on!!!”, as I drag him away from where his
nose is buried. “Doesn’t he know what these walks are for??? For his good? It’s
our time together!” We talk (well, I do, and he listens) and we explore new
roads and paths together.
And then today it hit me.
This is me with God.
I gleefully jump into my prayer time with God and am running
in the first few minutes.
And then I get distracted. I ruminate over a comment someone
made. I start to plan out my day. Or my grocery list. I daydream. I have
conversations with people in my head.
God gently calls my name. Calls me back to Him a to walk
together in prayer.
Over and Over again,
for the entire prayer time, we dance this dance.
The difference is that God doesn’t yank on my leash hard. He
never even puts one on me. He doesn’t fuss at me “No!No! Sabrina!! Don’t think
that!!! That is gross! Bad girl! Come on!!!”
He never drags me along. He gently calls my name. Calls me
back to Him. Because these “walks” are not for Him, but for me. For my good. For my Peace. For my Creativity.
It’s our time together. We explore new roads together.
Slowly I am learning to walk beside Him. Not run ahead. Not
bury my nose in everything else.
But I am letting Him transform me. My art. My attitude. My life.
One prayer walk at a time.
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