Love, Honor and Obey

We’ve got a dog in the house.

It took us several months of searching to track him down, but at long last we found just the right fuzzy face waiting for us at the animal shelter in Sault St. Marie. Our sweet Springer Spaniel has made himself at home and is quickly becoming part of the family.

We didn’t know what to expect when we finally brought a dog into the house. We have been hosts to a miniature zoofull of creatures over the years, from fish to hamsters to rats to cats. But we’ve never gone canine before. For all we knew, having a dog could be a miserable experience.

But Tucker is wonderful. He is well-behaved and polite, and he doesn’t shed or bark much. Every now and again he’ll shake his head with a liquidy, wubba-wubba sound and a rope of slobber will come flying off his jowls and stick to the wall. But mostly he’s just about perfect.

Our dog seems to know, with that sixth sense animals have, that my husband is the one who needs to be won over. Tucker likes to sidle up to him, give him a doggy grin, and then lay his big head down on my husband’s knee and gaze lovingly up into his face. His eyes seem to say, “You are my master, and I adore you.” It’s pretty irresistible, and he is usually rewarded with a pat on the head.

He’s claimed us, this dog. We find it remarkable how comfortable he seemed joining our family. The thing that amazes us most is how obedient Tucker is. He has accepted without question that we are in charge, and he seems to delight in doing what we ask of him.

We say, “Come on, Tucker!” and his eyes say, okay, and he comes. We say, “Tucker, sit!” and he says, okay, and sits. “Let’s go to the beach, Tuck.” Okay. “Tucker, don’t eat the cat’s food.” Okay. “Sorry, Tucker boy, you have to stay home this time.” Sigh. Okay.

The obedience of this dog doesn’t make sense. I wonder if he knows he has a choice. He could sit down and refuse to do what he’s told. He could growl and do as he pleases. Or he could take off down the block and be free.

I think he knows. I think he looks at his options – to obey or not to obey – and makes a deliberate decision to do that which will please his people. He obeys us because he loves us. And he loves us because we brought him home.

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There is something to be said for obedience. When there is One in whom to place your trust, it is a beautiful thing to choose to do what pleases Him.

God says, “Give up big chunks of yourself to love your spouse and raise your children.” It makes no sense. But still we say, Okay. “Leave everything you know and move to a strange new place and start over.” Okay. “That person hurt you badly. Forgive them.” Okay. “Your home just blew away in a whirling wind. Trust me anyway.” Okay.

No, obedience makes no sense. But then again, God doesn’t make much sense to me either, sometimes.

Jesus, Son of God, King of Kings, chose for our sake to become small, and weak, and human. He “humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:8. What a strange, incomprehensible thing it is. Why would He do that for me? Doesn’t He know who I really am?

He does know. He knows it all. And yet, the Son chose to obey His Father and give His life. Because He loves us. Because He wants to bring us home.

Sometimes it is hard to obey. It is hard to relinquish control, to accept humility, to give thanks in a storm. But we lay our head on our Master’s lap, and look to Him with liquid eyes, and He melts our hearts with a touch. And we know, inside and out, that we belong to Him.

First published in the Alpena News, June 8, 2013