Meandering the streets, he found himself looking for food and shelter. Life had so confused this poor boy; he had been born to a pack of pups, had been guarded by his mother, and then thrown into a vehicle and carted away to be left on the street in town to scrounge for food. Where did home go? What happened to all that he had been so accustomed to? Supposedly he was now “free” to roam wherever his heart desires took him, but this freedom was frightening! There were none of the usual smells, sweet comforts of mother and other pups, or familiar surroundings. What was to happen to him?
Night merged into day; days
merged into weeks. Scared in soul and emaciated in body now his
being seemed. He yearned to no longer have to search for any edible
morsel, to hide from any interaction, to be safe from storm and fear.
One afternoon, joyful
laughter and soothing tones of conversation began to fill the air. A mother
with her three children were walking down the same street on which he had taken
refuge. The mother called calmy to him. Oh, how he so desperately wanted
to approach! But, what if this was another trick that would only throw him back
out into an uncertain freedom with no security? The mother and her
children kneeled down and once again beckoned him to come. He was slowly
drawn to the comfort of their pleas. As they walked back to their house, they
continuously invited him to follow. The urge was too compelling to
refuse; the curiosity was too overwhelming; he heeded the call.
In the garage he was met
with the most wonderful smell – hotdog. He was famished; his poor
stomach craved for it; his mouth salivated for the taste of it.
The insistent need for food was so great that his teeth hardly even
chewed the pieces; he practically swallowed them whole. It was a
good thing that the mother broke them into small morsels. One, two, three, four
– what? Five entire hotdogs?! He had never felt so full and
so satisfied as he did in that moment. He honestly could not take another
bite.
The provisions for him did
not end there. The mother found an old towel and an old pillow
from which she made a bed. The children decided on the exact place for
which to place the bed to protect him from wind, rain, and lightning. He
loved the security and comfort that this new place afforded him. He almost felt
like he could – belong.
Yet, his nature kept
prompting him to run, to escape, to flee. Why? Mistrust had permeated his
first year of life; it would hardly be disregarded so quickly. After all, was
there someone out there that would genuinely care for him? The only human
interaction he had experienced had taught him that they were not worthy to be
trusted.
With tender tones and sweet
caresses, the feelings of mistrust, desperation, and fear began to subside.
Perhaps there actually was a real-life paradise that a poor pup could live and
be free to enjoy. Was this what having a home, a feeling of belonging
actually means? The first trial came a few days later, though, when one of the
children approached to put a collar on his neck. That was a new feeling for
him! Was this the symbol of belonging to a family? Or was it a noose that
would cinch tighter?
Then a click he heard as
the garage gate opened to the street. “Want to go walking?” were new words for
him. Back out onto the street where he had scavenged and scurried was where he
found himself walking in collar and leash. The desire to run and get
a whiff of all the smells overcame him and propelled his body back and
forth across the way. If only he could go fast enough to inventory
all the odors that there seemed to be. As he ran in one direction, this cord,
this rope, this leash seemed to hold him back. Harder he pulled and stronger
he jerked trying to accomplish this overpowering desire to run wild once
again. Just one more time he could be free to go as he pleased, never
considering the future consequences of that “freedom.”
Time and patience finally won the heart of this deserted pup. He began to learn that the security and provision of belonging actually gave him the freedom to be content and happy. He could play with new toys provided for him, and he had a family that loved, cared, and doted on him. There was food every day in a dish designated for only him; there were treats and extra meat scraps left just for him. In fact, he now resided inside the grand house with those very humans. Each night he could crawl into a human size bed and curl up in the cushioned comforter next to a warm body. Such contentment to not have just every need met, but also have every desire fulfilled. Now, when the words “Want to go walking?” are spoken, he joyfully, exuberantly runs to the door and sticks his neck out to be put into the collar and leash so he can enjoy a walk full of smells and curiosity.
So, why do we as humans think that to be “free to do as we wish” is true freedom? It is not! It only leads to fear, insecurity, and danger. John put it so aptly in I John 2:15-17, Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.
That fear that accompanies the false freedom leaves a disquiet within the soul; the only peace and calm comes from a loving Heavenly Father who gently and lovingly chides us with His mercy, goodness, and provision. James 1:13-17 says, Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning…. (vs. 25) But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueththerein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
That collar and leash that seemed like a restraint is actually His leading and guiding in our lives. His sovereign control knows what is best. Matthew 11:30 says, For my yoke is easy, and my burden light. When He says, “Want to go walking?” with Him? Yes!
True freedom, true liberty, as a believer is the ability and desire to please the One who saved her and be content in the provisions that He has given her. Was it not Christ who said, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. John 10:27-28. That, my friend is security, peace, and contentment. “Now I Belong to Jesus!”
Simply Stated,
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