I have two dogs that officially became mine when I married my husband in September. The oldest is Otis, a cocker spaniel, and the youngest is Cash, a miniature pinscher. Between the two of them, I have experienced a myriad of emotions, but at the end of the day I love them to pieces! When observing my dogs recently, I realized there is one characteristic of theirs that I need and want to more fully embrace. Through them, the Lord began teaching me a lesson of faithfulness. 

A Faithful Friend

Dogs are known to be very faithful and loyal creatures, primarily towards their master. The thing a dog wants most in the world is to simply spend time with his owner, the one who loves him the most. That time doesn’t have to be anything elaborate. It could consist of playing fetch, going for a walk, or just snuggling on the couch. My dogs in particular don’t like to let my husband or me out of their sights for long. They will follow us from room to room, lying nearby until we get up to go somewhere else. While it can be frustrating at times, it is also very endearing. It shows how much they care about us and that they feel safest when we are close by. 

Why do I not approach my relationship with God more like a dog’s relationship with his master?

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Leaning Towards Grace

I have been leaning hard to the grace side of my relationship with the Lord for a while now. For much of my life, I saw spending time with God as more of a requirement or something to check off my to-do list each day than as something I am doing because I desire deeper connection. Deep down I know that is not how God views it, but as someone who struggles with perfectionism, this view was always my natural tendency. Over time, as I’ve grown in my identity and begun to see God differently, I have realized that this way of approaching time with God was unhealthy and skewed. But knowing that and changing my approach were two very different things. 

I scaled back on traditional quiet times because it felt overwhelming and also didn’t feel very meaningful. I began to look for other ways to spend time with God. And then, the busier I got, the more I pushed my time with God to the back burner. Yet I knew that God had grace for me in this season, and I didn’t feel He was disappointed in me. I didn’t stop seeking Him, but it did definitely look different, and in a lot of ways our relationship became more surface level. 

(Don’t worry, the dots will all connect soon enough!)

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60 Seconds of Silence

One Sunday at church, our pastor gave us 60 seconds to sit quietly and listen for the Lord’s voice. During this time, God told me that I need to take more time, free of distractions, to get in His word. This wasn’t something that shocked me, because like I said, I have been somewhat slack in my time with God. But He continued to speak, saying that He doesn’t want me to get in the word because it’s a requirement, but simply because He wants to spend time with me. 

He will always have grace for me, but this doesn’t mean He doesn’t want to spend time with me. He understands when it’s hard or overwhelming, but He still wants me to pursue Him like He pursues me. Just like my dogs’ greatest desires are to spend time with me and be close to me, my greatest desire should be to spend time with God (my Master) and be close to Him. If my dogs need a break from me for a while, I understand. But if they chose to stay away forever, I would notice and it would break my heart. I would want them to come spend time with me.

Finding a Balance

I think that God feels the same way about me and about all of us. This year, I am choosing to be intentional with the time I spend with God. By going about it in this way, I hope to find the balance between grace and rule-following. I will spend time with God in ways that I enjoy, ways that truly deepen my connection with Him. 

I will embody faithfulness: this characteristic that my dogs display on a daily basis. I will spend time with the Lord and choose to be close to Him. Will you?