Among the dozens of activities offered at dog camp is tracking. My friend Lois Evans has been trying to get me to do some tracking with Jack for years but I never seemed to make the time. The biggest hurdle in getting me to track at camp is that the class starts at 7am, the time I’m usually just getting that first or second cup of coffee, much needed if I’m going to face the world. Today was the last day for beginners to experience handling; it was now or never. My deal with the dogs was that if we woke up by 5:30 am, we would go. Jack must be a mind reader because he had me up at 5:25 am!
7 am found me in a stunning field of wildflowers. It was cool with a light breeze coming up the hill and embracing dogs and handlers. The grass in the meadow was tall - taller than Jack. This was going to be interesting.
In tracking, your dog must lead you and find the scented articles strewn across a trail. This is different than obedience or most other dog activities. Usually the handler makes sure the dog is by their side and doesn’t forge ahead, but in tracking that is exactly what you want your dog to do. As Lois has said, “You have to trust your dog.” Jack and I didn’t know what to trust. He was fitted with a harness and off we went. Sort of. As I said, the grass was taller than Jack. He took a few steps and then stopped and looked at me as if to say, “Aren’t you suppose to be in front?” I talked to Jack, cajoled Jack, and did everything except put my nose down to the ground to show him what he was supposed to do.
The trainer who was coaching me very nicely told me to back off and keep quiet. Again the message was to trust your dog. When I finally understood that, apparently Jack did too, because suddenly he was moving swiftly ahead of me and found every single article along the trail. Have you ever seen a corgi smile? Well, Jack was smiling. He knew he had made a big accomplishment. He wasn’t alone as he tracked; I walked with him every step of the way, encouraging him, praising him, helping him to accomplish his mission. It was not a big theological leap to realize that this is very much how God walks with us.
When we are spiritual babes in arms, new to fellowship with Jesus, we are so aware of His presence. Everything seems highlighted with the glory of God. It’s a mountaintop experience, but like most mountain tops, there comes a time when we have to come back down into the valley. The spiritual life seems more like something we have to work at, rather than just basking in the glory of God. Many people give up in their spiritual quest at this point. And that is truly tragic because this is the time when the relationship with Jesus truly deepens. It’s like tracking with Jack. We look behind us to see if God is still there. We quiz God asking, “Aren’t you suppose to be in front?” What we don’t get is that God trusts us to forge ahead. God hasn’t forsaken us or left us. God is just saying, “I trust you. Step out in faith. You will be amazed at what you’ll find.” God is always right there, encouraging, praising, helping us to accomplish our mission, helping us to stay on the right track.
No comments:
Post a Comment