Recently, I had the privilege of adopting a service dog.  Her name is Emma.  The minute I saw her face, I fell in love.  She has beautiful markings and the sweetest eyes.  I really knew nothing about her, except for her breed, but I just knew she was the one for me. The Lord did miracle, after miracle for me to be able to even purchase her.  I am super excited to meet her in person.  Yep- I have to wait….a whole 8 months.  Even though she is mine, and we paid the full price for her, she has to be trained.  In order for her to do her job the right way, she has to learn what it means to serve.  That got me thinking, how we too, need to be trained to serve our Master in a very similar way.

First of all, a service dog needs to learn to sit at its master’s feet.  When the master is not in motion, the dog sits right beside him or her.  We, as Christians, need to learn to sit at the feet of Jesus.  Others may be running around doing a variety of things, but we need to just sit.  We need to trust that the Lord knows when we need to start moving again.  We need to glean from His word and rest in His promises.  We need to “Be still and know that He is God.”  Sitting still is actually a tough task to master.  Many distractions can make us want to run in different directions but to actually just sit and rest is difficult.  In order to be used we have to know when the Lord wants us to just stay put or to go.

A service dog also has to learn to walk in step with its master.  Wherever the master goes, the dog is right by their side.  They do not pull ahead and they do not lag behind.  What a message for us as Christians!  We need to walk in the footprints of the Savior.  Our tendency is to run ahead of the Lord.   We try to grab our blessings, figure out our own problems, or check to see if the grass is greener on the other side. The Lord has to pull us back a bit and it may hurt our pride.  Either that, or the Lord asks us to do something, and we procrastinate and fall behind.  “My circumstances are too hard for me to do that right now.”  “Lord, I’m not fit for that job you are asking me to do.  “Later, Lord, later….”  It is then that the Lord has to give a little tug.  “No my child, I know the right timing and it is NOW.  Let’s go.”

A service dog needs to be aware of its surroundings but also focused on the task at hand .  It cannot be easily distracted.  It’s master may take it to a busy mall or a crowded city street but if the dog loses focus it can end in tragic results. As servants of the Lord, we too must learn to focus on the task we were made for.  We are IN this world, but we are not OF it.  Our task is to glorify the Lord and seek to help enlarge His kingdom.  Many things can distract us.  Money.  Fame.  Success.  Beauty.  Relationships.  Family.  Hobbies.  Even good things can distract us from the greater task that the Master has given us.  We need to run our race with our eyes fixed on the goal.  One minute of letting our guard down can result in a fall or cause us to veer off track.

A service dog cannot be sensitive or yippy.  It has to be trained to put up with children pulling at its tail or running in fits around it.  It cannot nip at that child.  Sure, the child may be irritating it but it is trained to just stay calm.  If we are going to be in the Lord’s service, we also cannot be overly sensitive.  People are going to rub us the wrong way.  Circumstances are going to seem unfair.  Our reaction cannot be one of anger or biting back.  We need to stay calm and trust that the Lord has our backs.  

Most of all though, a good service dog will enjoy its Master and in return bring its Master joy.  It is true that we, as humans, need to be taught to really bask in the goodness of Christ.  Our first reaction, sadly, is to think of the negative and to focus on what the Lord has not given us or done for us.  We look back on the prayers that have seemed to go unanswered and we complain.  We need to retrain our minds to be thankful, first of all, just for who the Lord is to us.  He is our Rock, our Anchor, our Salvation, our Best Friend, our True Love, our Enough our Strength, our Reason for Living!  We need to take time to pour our love out on the Master for who He is.  Next, we need to remember all of the many good things He has given us.  He has given us salvation.  He has given us life.  He has given us family.  He has given us a home.  He has given us friends.  He has given us health…… and the list goes on and on.  The Savior needs to hear songs of thanksgiving rather than the noises of disgruntled saints.  We need to remember that “He does not withhold one good thing from those who love Him.”  Many of our “unanswered prayers” are really the Lord saving us from a disaster we would have unknowingly  brought upon ourselves.  When we learn to enjoy the Master, trust Him, and follow Him, we in turn bring Him joy.  When I get to heaven, I for one, want to see a smile on Jesus’ face and hear Him say, “well done, my good and faithful servant.”

So my friend, today remember we are in training for a lofty purpose.  We are in the service of the King of Kings and  Lord of Lords and there is no greater Master.