April 16-Cali, "Sit"
It was early evening before I had a chance to take Cali on her walk. I don’t know whether it was due to the lack of light or perhaps a different time of day, but Cali forgot what the word “sit” meant. We came to our first driveway at a mobile home park when I stopped and expected Cali to sit. Nothing happened. I said, “sit”-she just stood there. I pulled back on her leash, still nothing. It was as though Cali was thinking, “What’s that crazy word you are saying to me?” I couldn’t believe it-all our sit training suddenly evaporated. I had to gently press and tuck her tail under her and whoa-la, she sat. Thinking this was just a glitch in her training, we came to the next driveway. I stopped, Cali stopped, and again-she just stood there. I’m thinking, “OK-I have the wrong dog.” I said, “sit”-Cali just stood. I pulled back on the leash-nothing. I did the tail tuck and push maneuver and Cali finally sat. I couldn’t believe what was happening. The dog relapsed. I continued the walk thinking, “I have a broken dog.” I couldn’t understand why Cali would not sit. After all, it was for Cali’s good to sit and wait for oncoming vehicles. Psalms 23:1-3 states, “1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. 3 He restores my soul…” (NAS). I often wondered what the Psalmist meant when he said that God makes us lie down in green pastures. Wouldn’t we want to voluntarily lie down in green pastures? Sometimes our business in life hinders us from seeing the green pastures and sometimes we just don’t have time to lie down in them. Could this time of quarantine with the COVID-19 virus be God’s way of making us lie down in green pastures? Perhaps, we need to slow down and recharge; maybe our priorities need some altering; or perhaps God wants to point us in a new direction. Next time you feel frustrated with your quarantined life, try to imagine God gently pushing on the back of your tail.
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