Sometimes, my dog makes a good teacher. He’s a very cute, ve
ry mischievous Shih-Tzu. When he’s not about the task of destroying my living room, he can be quite adorable. Despite his constant shenanigans, I’m still fond of him.
Earlier this evening, my wife and I were sitting on the couch together watching our favorite television program and he was behind the couch trying to devour as much of the upholstery as his little jaws could hold. My wife called him over, and invited him up on the couch in the hopes that this move might keep him out of trouble.
Shockingly, he obeyed – for eight seconds. He jumped up on the couch, laid down, stood, jumped off the couch and went along to play with a toy that distracted him. This was amusing, but typical. But, this time it struck me. Aren’t we often the same way with God?
Don’t we often obey simply out of obligation, following the law but forgetting the reason for the law? Isn’t it the story of our lives that we chase after some random nothing we think will bring us joy when we could be sitting in the lap of the One who rescues us from trouble, receiving the love that we desperately long for?