Thursday, January 28, 2010

The Tale of Two Dogs

My Pastor once told a rather humorous tale about his two dogs. These joyful animals loved to run and explore; so much so that their explorings often took them beyond the boundaries of their yard. Squirrels, noise, and other curious creatures and interruptions led them to trespass on others' lands. Well, my Pastor knew something had to be done. Therefore, he installed an underground, electric fence. The electric zap that buzzed throughout the poor animals' bodies would most likely provide enough encouragement to stay away from those forbidden places.

It definitely worked for dog number one; it only took one punishing shock to keep that dog content with remaining on the porch for the rest of its life. Dog number two? Not so much. This dog would go and sit right on the edge, right inside that boundary that would severely punish him, should he dare to cross it. And his eyes were trained on that single squirrel. Every part of its brain was yelling "squirrel!" Would this dog dare to cross the threshold? It did not take much thinking. It was worth it, so worth it. He ran across the line, yelping in pain as electricity shot through its veins. But, oh yes, it was worth it. He was free and running after that amazingly tempting little squirrel. Dog number two just never learned. It was always, always, always choosing the brief seconds of pain over letting that squirrel run out of its sight.

There are very few stories that provoke true laughter out of me; this one definitely did. Not that shocking dogs is funny, but the fact that dog number two never gave up --- now that was priceless. This is definitely going to be a part by part blog post. I cannot even begin to delve into all the parallels within this story within one blog post. And it is probably better if you know the secret ahead of time; dog number two ---- yep, that would be me. The lessons that dog number two taught me contained a very interesting combination of good and bad. It is not so much that running through electric fences is a bad idea (theoretically here... don't try it), but it is more of what exactly we are running through it for; what we are chasing basically.

So, I welcome you all to follow me through a series of posts, while I explore a few lessons I have been taught about running through electric fences. . . .

5 comments:

  1. Depends how you look at it. The fence could be a bad thing, a sin, that threatens the believer (e.g. pride, fear of man, suffering, etc.). Dog #1 stays timid and fearful, while dog #2 is willing to brave those few moments of fleshly mortification in order to obtain the higher prize! O:)

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  2. Awww, poor dogs! :( And yet, I agree, that is very much like us. We choose to go past God's boundaries time and time again, while He teaches us, often through pain, where we need to be!

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  3. I am looking forward to your wonderful insight Sis, and as always you are daily in my thoughts and prayers.

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  4. I am looking forward to reading more on this, dear sis. :)

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