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Oh my dog! - What My Dog Taught Me About Faith · The Call to Women in Faith Podcast

• 0:00
  It's about time I spoke about the second best thing in the world, dogs.
• 0:04
  There are lots of people who love dogs. There are videos about them.
• 0:09
  We talk about them all the time.
• 0:11
  Our lives revolve around them. I know this for a fact because my schedule is
• 0:16
  all around their walks, their food, their naps.
• 0:21
  When you think about dogs, you have a whole lot of pictures that come into your
• 0:26
  mind. I'm sure there are videos you saw on social media where they're doing
• 0:30
  cute things, and they tug it hard.
• 0:33
  But today, I want to focus on the image that underscores obedience.
• 0:39
  Think Belgian Malanoa, or German Shepherd, or Dutch Shepherd,
• 0:44
  the one that walks beside its handler with eyes focused on the handler.
• 0:50
  This four-legged creature with lower IQ than ours exhibits a high degree of obedience.
• 0:57
  Why do we fall short?
• 0:59
  To explain where we fall short, the characteristic of a dog needs to be examined.
• 1:06
  There are many bad dogs out there. We typically blame the handlers and the trainers
• 1:11
  of these dogs, which is true.
• 1:14
  Dogs are not innately wired to be obedient. They must be handled in a proper way.
• 1:20
  They have to have a schedule, discipline, treats, timeouts.
• 1:24
  All of these are part of making a dog a good dog.
• 1:28
  All my dogs came to us as puppies. We handle them with love and care. We follow a schedule.
• 1:35
  They do not have free run of the house. They are told to do whatever needs done.
• 1:40
  If they use their free will, it is typically to get water.
• 1:44
  In short, my dogs are well-disciplined most of the time.
• 1:50
  They know by the tone of my voice if they are in trouble or if it is time to play.
• 1:56
  One of my dogs is exceptionally well-behaved, so I'm going to use her to illustrate my point.
• 2:03
  She watches me intently when she's not sleeping.
• 2:07
  She likes laying at my feet and anticipates that she has to go with me when I move.
• 2:13
  But she will stay put until I release her to heal by my side.
• 2:18
  When she takes her eyes off of me, her ears are perked up. She pays close attention to my voice.
• 2:25
  To top it all, when she sees me first thing in the morning, she behaves like
• 2:30
  we were apart for months. Her greetings are joyful.
• 2:34
  Now that I raved about my dog, let me illustrate what we can learn from an obedient one.
• 2:40
  Always pay attention to the one that is giving you food, shelter, safety, and love.
• 2:46
  Never take your eyes off of the one giving you instructions.
• 2:50
  How else would you know what to do next?
• 2:52
  If you must take your eyes off of your Lord and Master, strain hard,
• 2:57
  strain hard to listen to His voice.
• 3:00
  Without your guiding light, you will be lost.
• 3:04
  Stay ready at His feet. Rest at His feet and rise when He expects you to.
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  Do everything he commands you to do. Most importantly, be thankful and joyful
• 3:15
  every morning when you wake up and when you are spending time with him.
• 3:20
  He who made you is waiting to spend time with you.
• 3:26
  If only I could give as much attention to Jesus as my dog gives me.
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  She is a constant reminder that I will stray. But once I learn to keep my eye
• 3:37
  on the metaphorical ball, I will experience pure joy.
• 3:42
  Quote, I have set the Lord always before me, because he is at my right hand,
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  I shall not be moved. End quote.
• 3:53
  Psalm, chapter 16, verse 8. Dear Jesus, thank you for the gift of my dogs.
• 4:00
  You are seated on the throne of my life.
• 4:03
  You are the Lord and Master of it all. Please teach me to be obedient to you.
• 4:09
  Grant me the good sense to be joyful in you and you alone. May everything I
• 4:14
  do bring you glory. Amen.