The Unrepentant Dog

Day #8:

My dog, Rocky (golden retriever) is the dumbest thing ever to have walked on 4 legs. He can be very sweet & affectionate; my husband & oldest daughter love him. I tolerate him & make sure he is fed & gets his shots. Although he is dumber than the average dog, he still has much to teach me. The latest "lesson from Rocky" is about disobedience & unrepentance. Rocky's home is in our finished (mostly) basement. He would get free run of the house if he ever learned not to destroy toys & tear the stuffing out of stuffed animals. Don't feel too bad for the guy, there's plenty of space, it's nice in cozy in the winter due to the pellet stove & he gets a good amount of company because the tv and computer are down here. If you ask Rocky what the best part of the basement is, though, he would surely tell you it's the couch. Every time I leave the room for more than a few minutes, he jumps up on the couch. If I remember to prop the cushions in a sort of tepee fashion & blockade the couch, there's a chance he won't, but training my girls to do that has been as successful as training the dog not to jump on the couch. Why is this a problem, you ask? He smells for one, and he sheds a new dog every day. (We had bought him a dog bed for $60, by the way, but he ate that, too)

So, what does this have to do with repentance? The dog doesn't know the meaning. I catch him every time, he slithers off the couch & gives me the "I'm sorry, but aren't I still cute?" look & hides his face in his paws, to which I reply, "you stink" & sigh a heaving sigh. I used to yell & scream & call him a bad dog, tap his butt and shout threats I knew I'd never keep. Now, I just sigh my defeated sigh & try to comb some of the hair of the cushions & prop them up again. The truth of the matter is, Rocky uses the couch downstairs more than the humans do, he doesn't plan on stopping any time soon & will continue to plan his next couch nap even as he declares with his puppy dog eyes that he is sorry. He's not. Don't we do that with God sometimes? If we're truthful, I think we all would admit we have at one time or another. Some of us daily. Yes, God is a God of grace & mercy & forgiveness & love. He loves us so much He sent His one & only Son to die on the cross so we may have forgiveness of sins. His mercies are new every day & when we truly seek His forgiveness, He not only forgives, but forgets them. BUT!!! We can't abuse that grace & keep sinning (by overindulging or any area of our lives). True repentance isn't saying "I'm sorry"...it goes so much deeper. If He convicts us that we are sinning in any way, we MUST act on it, repent & change our ways.

I'm thinking ahead to Thanksgiving. Normally, I wouldn't even consider what my eating habits would be...total pig out!!! But, now I'm thinking, if I do, that's saying, "God, I'm going to obey you this day & maybe this day, but not this one". It would me be saying sorry, but knowing full well I plan on doing it when no one will be looking, or when everyone else will be doing it, or when it will be socially acceptable. The Lord has convicted my heart that gluttony is sin, so I feel like I just can't do it. Ever. So, I will be praying for the strength to eat a little bit of my favorite foods & stop when I'm full. There's no way I'm giving up my pumpkin pie, but I don't have to. I just can't eat the whole thing. I'm either going to choose the obedient life, or I'm not. I know God will forgive me if I fail, but I know that, since I have given it over to Him, He can win this victory for me. If I choose to "let go" and pig out on Thanksgiving, what will stop me from the next day? (thanksgiving #2 at my folks') & Christmas & all the parties that go with it & birthdays & dinners out & pot-lucks & Valentine's day, etc....there's always another excuse to overindulge.

Has God laid it on your heart to stop doing something, or start? Anything He calls you to do, He will give you the power to achieve it. Enlist the help of other positive people (not the ones who will try to talk you out of it, or tell you you're fine the way you are). Talk to a pastor or someone you trust. Ask them to hold you accountable. You can do it!! God bless, Dianna