Holding On or Being Held?

This morning I took the lightweight dog leash off the hook and called our dog Blackie to come and walk with me. He doesn't really like to be on the leash and if he spies it he sometimes won't come to me. I thought I'd be smart this morning and carry out the doggie treats to coax him into a walking mood. My other dog, fourteen-year-old Duke was ready for both a walk and a doggie treat. Although he weighs about thirty pounds and Blackie is probably twice that, Duke still thinks he's top dog around here! He's walked with me for so many years he doesn't need a leash but Blackie...now that's a different story! He will walk but he will spend most of his time out in the woods doing his own thing, hence the leash as I am trying to teach him to stay with me out walking.

The doggie treats did the trick. He came and took one from me but immediately ran away. Duke wanted treats too so I gave him a couple just for being such a loyal friend all these many years! Oh and also just because I like to spoil him! ha I had the leash ready in one hand and a treat ready in the other when Blackie came back. Made him wait for the treat while I hooked the leash on his new red collar. As I have done for years when walking my dogs, I took the leash, put my hand through the loop and they wrapped the rest around my hand to get the desired length. Then I gave Blackie the treat but instead of gobbling it down, he left half of it hanging from his mouth. Bad move! Duke decided he wanted Blackie's treat along with his own and proceeded to take it from Blackie's mouth!

I guess you can imagine what happened next....DOG FIGHT! A little barking, a little growling and a big black dog running FAST away from a little white dog with very sharp teeth! And guess what? He was moving FAST away from me and the leash at the same time! He moved so fast that I didn't know what happened except that the leash was no longer wound around my hand and that my hand was hurting really bad! The loop in the leash was thankfully large enough that my hand had slipped through when he ran. Had it not, I would most likely have been thrown to the ground and dragged! As it was, it just scrapped and slightly bruised my hand and wrist.

Benny was outside and saw the whole thing. After looking at my hand and determining that it was going to be all right, he then proceeded to fuss at me for the way I'd been holding the leash wrapped around my hand. His exact quote was, "NEVER tie yourself to something bigger than you are!" Hmmm. Good idea! What he meant was, if you are not big enough to totally control something, don't attach yourself to it!

I started thinking about the things we hold on to. Some good. Some bad. A lot of things bigger than we are. Do you worry about things that you really have no control over? Have you begun to experiment with things you know God hates? Are the things you read and the shows you watch on TV not the wholesome things you were taught to respect? Then you're holding on to something bigger than yourself and may get hurt! Satan may just take off running and leave you dragging behind on the end of his leash!

On the other hand, think about the opposite of holding on which would be, being held! When my kids were little and they got hurt or didn't feel well they wanted to be held in my lap. At the end of a long day when they were tired, they wanted to be held. It is a form of comfort and security that we really never outgrow. A big hug from my husband or a friend when I'm feeling down or tired makes such a difference!

What a blessing that we don't have to worry about holding on to God to get comfort and security from Him. Why don't we have to hold on? Because HE is holding on to us! And His grip never slips! He will never pull us in the wrong direction either! I'm so thankful my salvation is sealed and secured by His Holy Spirit!

Ephesians 1:13 "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,"

In His Grip.......Marilyn