My friend had asked me to pet-sit for her two dogs and cats while her and her daughter took a trip to California. Me being the animal lover I am, could not say no. The night before she left, I went to her home to get shown the ropes. Her poodle was as sweet as a dog could be and had no issue with me being there. The other dog though, he is a poodle mix and could not stop barking at me let alone get near me. I had my work cut out for me over the week. I thought, "If this dog doesn't trust me, how will I be able to even walk him?"
The first night came and I was smart. I would put their leashes on while they were still in their kennel. He would have no choice but to trust me a little bit. I noticed on our walk that he kept as far a distance that he possibly could as well as an eye on me to make sure I did nothing tricky. When I gave him a treat he would only take it if I left it in on the floor. He would grab it and run. I sat on the couch petting the other dog and would try to call him to come up and relax with us but to no avail. He would run around in circles and bark if I even made a move. His attitude changed a little bit though when I put them in their kennel for the evening and then all of a sudden he was Mr. Friendly. Hmmmm......
Second night I went back and did the same thing. On the walk I noticed he got a little closer to me and when I gave him his treat, he actually took it from my hand. I sat on the couch again with the other dog petting him and the little guy would run, jump up on the couch and then zoomed away. I figured it was some progress.
Last night and round three. Took the dogs for their walk and this time Itsy Bitsy (the little fearful dog) would stand right near me. He also took the treat out of my hand again but would run off with it as he did the night before. Again, I sat on the couch with the other dog and had my head rested up against the back. Itsy looked at me and I said, "Come here Itsy and join us." He walked over and jumped on the couch and lied down and allowed me to pet him. And then I got thinking. I know I know.
I started to think about trust and faith. To be more specific...God and trust and faith. Sometimes we are like Itsy Bitsy. Very cautious and not sure what to make of God. Who is He? Will He hurt me if I get near Him? What is it that He wants from me? But God is patient. Only giving out as much as we are willing to grab. I didn't push Itsy to come close to me and God doesn't push either. He gives us a little bit and let's us run to a safe place and be at a safe distance until we figure out who He is. He sits and waits for us hanging out with others but offers an open invitation to join them when we are ready. As each day passes, God attempts to come a little closer but is willing to stand back if we feel threatened. He becomes consistent in who He is and our trust begins to grow. Like Itsy, we start to see God isn't here to hurt us but to spend time with us so we move in closer and allow God to love us.
Itsy needed time to figure out who I was. Because I gave him his space, he was able to analyze who I was and saw that I was someone to be trusted so with a leap of faith....he sat next to me and was loved.
"For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith." 1 John5:4
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