Back by popular demand, it’s another installment of the Ella Files (actually, just one person told me he missed them, but he’s a popular guy…)
a new word from Ella...
Like most dogs, Ella LOVES going on walks. Even when it’s 108 degrees outside, and the pavement is scalding, Ella goes nuts over the sound of a dangling leash, and the sound of one of the few English phrases she has mastered – “wanna go for a walk?”
So excited is Ella about the walk that she can hardly sit still long enough to attach the leash. As soon as she’s tethered, she sets out, pulling the leash taut, and straining forward. This is her posture for…well, for the duration of the entire walk.
Often, along the way, she is pulling so hard that she chokes herself, and has to stop for a good cough. Then she sets out again, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the only thing causing her to choke is her own aggressiveness.
“HEEL!” This is what we tell our dogs when we are trying to train them to walk along side of us rather than way out in front of us. I’m finding out that getting your dog to heel is not just a power trip for the owner, another “trick” the dog can perform. Rather, it’s for the dog … and in this case, it’s for Ella. I want her to heel so she won’t hurt herself! So, I start making all the human rationalizations that dogs could never understand: “Doesn’t she realize that she’s hurting herself? That she won’t get there any faster by pulling so hard? That she’s making the job of being her master kind of frustrating by her behavior? Why doesn’t she just walk peacefully along with us, and enjoy our company?”
“Bill … HEEL!” – God
Ella and I have the same problem. We don’t heel for our master. Ella loves walks. I love friendships, ministry initiatives, the tasks of making life more enjoyable, making decisions. When I get an idea in my head, I want to take action, and often find myself bolting out in front of the LORD’s directions. And, in the flurry of all of my own, self-driven initiative, I can fail to hear the heart of God say, “Doesn’t he realize that he’s hurting himself? That he won’t get there any faster by pulling so hard? That he’s making the job of being her master kind of frustrating by his behavior? Why doesn’t he just walk peacefully along with Me, and enjoy My company?”
“The steps of a man are established by the LORD,
And He delights in his way.
When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong,
Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand.” – Psalm 37:23-24
bill
