Musings on Our Dog and His Freedom

     While on one acre nestled in moderately dense suburbia, our dog, Otto, had very little freedom.    It was limited to the house; even if he was allowed to roam the backyard, he would clear the four-foot fence when one of our many squirrels caught his eye.  He was only doing his job, since he is a Schnauzer that is bred to take care of little rodents.  The hunting game was always cut short by the distractions of the freedom in sight, as was true when the front door was left open and he would run.    

     He would run so fast that his back legs appeared to reach the tip of his nose as he sped down the road in a ball of dust.  The kids had to ride their bikes to fetch him.  He ran, oblivious to the dangers around him:  vehicles speeding, do-gooders calling the pound, larger dogs protecting their territory and owners of little dogs threatening to call the police because Otto liked to exert his dominance.  We would eventually find him.  Strangers would even help us at times.  He seemed to always get distracted by something else in the neighborhood and we could grab him.

     When we arrived at the new homestead, the temptations to run came.  He ran, explored, but came back.  He even crossed the 65 mph highway once.  Soon the bolting out the front door stopped, and now his explorations are rarely out of site of the house.   He knows his territory and protects it, and now enjoys lounging on the front porch in the sun.   Now when Otto wants to play, it is not a game of hide-and-seek with the anxiety of not knowing where he will decide to run, but a pleasurable game of tag as he runs huge circles around the tagger.  He prefers to be at my feet, walk with me to the mailbox, and lay down near TJ as he studies.  He responds to his name now, not perfect, but we are getting there.  Cats and ducklings are a distraction, but he pays no heed to the chickens and there is one that likes to follow him from time to time.   A radical change in our puppy; he is like a new dog. 

     As I noticed this radical change, I pondered a little on child rearing and what can happen if the leash is too tight, but I predominately thought about our relationship with our creator, our Master.  Before knowing our redeemer we are in bondage to our sin--it enslaves us.  It controls us.  We are always running to our pleasures: entertainment, the next event, comforts of life, etc.  We run to success, striving to achieve and get lost in the busyness of life.  We run to power and control, wanting it all to go our way.   But we are still trapped within the walls of the house, never getting out though we run.

      In Christ we are free.  Since Christ has set us free, we shall be free indeed.  Because of his death in our stead and his resurrection we have been freed from the bondage of sin and death.  When one becomes a Christian, he loses that desire to run, though the temptation is always there and he fails at times.  But he is no longer on the leash with sin holding on the other end.  Christ broke the leash because of his own mere pleasure and grabbed us.  With that freedom a peace and contentment comes and a desire to sit at the Master’s side.  No longer a running to hide from Him in worldly pleasures but to be with Him, respond to His voice and please Him.

     There are times when the Christian gets distracted by the things of the world and ventures to far, as Martha, who got consumed with the cares of the world.  But his desire is that of Mary’s, to sit at his Master’s feet, to listen and to please.  With Otto’s freedom came that same desire, and so it is with our freedom in Christ, a desire to be with Him and no longer run.