7-14-18

I went on a bike ride today. It was beautiful this morning with a nice, cool breeze. When I made it to the other side of town, I saw a cute little dog in the middle of the road.

As I get closer to the dog, he turns around and notices me. Then with fright in his eyes, he takes off running. His little legs where going so fast you can hardly see them. He runs about a quarter-mile at full speed then starts to slow down a bit. I get closer, and I whistle at him. I’m trying to let him know that I’m not here to hurt him, that he doesn’t need to run, but as soon as he hears my voice, he shoots off down the road faster than before. I keep following him, and he looks back one last time and makes a bee line into a wheat field.

Y’all I wasn’t prepared for what happened next though. The past few weeks I’ve been worrying about some of the people I love. They are lost and don’t know God. I have felt so unequipped to help them since they have seen me at my worst. I’m afraid to come off looking like a hypocrite or that I will come across that I think I am “Holier than Thou”, but this is not the case at all. When I asked Jesus into my heart, He took me in as His own in spite of myself and my short comings. I am still the same person and still make mistakes, but I have a Helper to give me power to stay clear of sin, but ONLY if I listen, which isn’t all the time!

Praise the Lord that I was listening today though. As I was watching that little dog run from me, it occurred to me that people that are lost aren’t any different than that dog. When he saw me coming, all he could think was that I was out to get him. His first line of thought was fear! When I whistled at him, he didn’t recognize my voice so he ran. People that are lost don’t know the voice of God so they run. They don’t know the love of God so they fear Him.

If only they would realize that God isn’t out to get them. He wants to give them the peace and joy that only He can give. I pray that my lost loved ones will have someone in their life lead them to Christ, and if that someone is me, I pray that God gives me the wisdom and boldness to do so. Amen!