Molly and the Leash

When I was growing up, I had a dog named Molly. She was my best friend, mainly because we were so alike. We were both antisocial, oversensitive, misunderstood, and never fully trusted anyone. I recall the time my aunt tried to leash-train Molly. As you can tell, Molly wasn't your ordinary dog. She did things her way. This made leash-training her...interesting. As soon as my aunt put the leash on Molly, she immediately threw herself at the very end of the leash, yelping and writhing on the ground as if she was demon-possessed. This, of course, shocked my aunt, who was watching all of this go on, yet she patiently took a step forward in hopes that Molly would get used to the leash. Each step was just as dramatic as the last, though. Over and over again, Molly would throw herself around, yelping as loud as she could. Eventually, she did "get over it", and started walking with my aunt on the leash. Then another bomb dropped. My aunt changed directions. The whole show started all over again, with Molly fighting every step of the way. I don't know if she ever got used to the leash. Strange dog.

My point? The story of Molly and the leash is a perfect illustration of my walk with God thus far. Molly and I had much more in common than I thought, despite her just being an animal. It's made me see things from God's perspective on this road of sanctification. When I got saved, when He hooked that metaphorical leash to me, and we started to walk and I realized I didn't have total control of my life anymore, I freaked. Unfortunately, I still tend to do this when trials come my way. I throw myself at the end of God's will, kicking and screaming. All the while, He's patiently walking behind me, guiding me on the path He's chosen for me. Eventually, I break and obey and trust my Master, walking the way He's commanded. Until He changes direction and we're back to square one. And yet He calmly starts the lesson over again, knowing I'll just freak and throw myself to the ground just like I've done so many times today. That's amazing grace.

Unlike poor Molly, I will eventually "get it", but my leash-training days are far from over. How about you, Christian? Are you a Molly? Do you fight God's hand in your life? Are you trusting Him fully to guide your path? Submit yourself to Him today and trust His loving hand. Otherwise, it's going to be a very long and exhausting walk Home for both of us.