Everything I ever needed to know about life, I learned from my dog.

Last night, I was reminded of a valuable lesson - trust.

I gave my dog, Sheba, a bath. She hates getting a bath. Even though she always needs them by the time I give her one, she simply hates getting one. When the bath is over, I have to wrap her in a towel and hold her tightly to dry her off. Otherwise, she makes a mess. She'll run all over the place, spraying water and hair over everything and then will make a running dive into the nearest carpet to begin the "Doggie Shuffle". Anyone with a dog is sure to know what that is!

Anyway, we made it through the bath and because she was so good, I decided to give her a treat. So as I got the treat and was sitting on the bed, about to give it to her, I was reminded of how I respond to my Master when He has to "give me a bath" or when He wants to pour out His blessings in my life.

As I sat there, breaking up the cookie into small pieces, I watched my dog and how she responded to me. She sat there, totally focused on my hands and what was in them. As I gave her each piece, her eyes never left my hands. A couple of times I closed my hand with a piece of the cookie inside it, and just sat there, waiting to see what she would do. There were a couple of times she looked away - a car was passing by or a noise caught her attention - but she would always quickly turn back to stare intently at my hand, waiting to see what I was going to do.

It seemed like God was gently prodding me about my response to Him. How do I respond to Him when he wants to "wash me clean"? Do I just endure it, counting down the time until I can get out and run free? Or do I relish those times of cleansing and allow Him to do a thorough job? Am I as fervent in my devotion to "watching His hand"? Do I allow the distractions of this world to cause me to turn away from Him and perhaps miss a blessing or a ministry opportunity He has for me? Do I trust Him enough to simply wait for Him to move in my life? I was convicted, to say the least.

This is something I've been dealing with for a while. This, trusting God thing. I'm trying to figure out why it is so hard for me. It's sort of unfair, because He made me to be independent, but I'm supposed to lay that all down (dying daily to that sinful nature in me) and submit to Him. I'm not complaining, just trying to figure out how to do that. I'm sure a lot of my struggle is due to the sin of pride in my life. I've just recently recognized that I do have too much pride. It's hard when God gives you a good "scrubbing" by shining the light of His truth in your life.

The fact remains that I do want to trust God. To be broken and submissive to Him. Good grief, if I can't trust the Creator of the Universe, then whom can I trust? The hard part is getting to that broken and submissive place. To be the clay in the Potter's hands. To realize, truly realize, that without God, there is no point in going on.

I'm getting better - of this I'm sure! I'm almost beginning to look forward to the next bath!