Walking In Love

Happy Labor Day! You’re probably expecting a message having to do with labor, or the holiday, or something in between. That would probably make sense, but I’m actually writing this on Sunday and something occurred this morning that made such an impact on me that I thought I needed to share. So, Happy Labor Day, and please read on.

I have my little rituals I perform each morning when I wake up. When I first arise, I turn on the coffee maker, let Oakley (one of our dogs) out, then retrieve and set up the toaster. I’m an early riser; usually between 5:00 and 6:00 AM. My wife and our other dog, Teeter, are not. They will remain in bed for another hour (or hours). That means peace and quiet for Oakley and me. I start my coffee, let Oakley in and give him a treat, start my raisin toast and open my iPad to my first devotional for the day.

The first devotional I read is In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley. Dr Stanley passed away recently, but his daily devotions continue and I can still count on his uplifting messages to help start my day. By this time, my coffee and toast are ready, so I retrieve them and open my second devotional, Turning Point, with Dr. David Jeremiah. His devotionals are also quite uplifting and are my favorites. As I read Turning Point, I eat my toast and take my medications, then it’s off to my chair where I will read emails and catch up on any news that interests me. Oakley follows me to my chair and lays down at my feet.

On Sundays, Dr. Jeremiah doesn’t offer a daily devotional. Instead, he offers a video of one of his sermons. I really enjoy these. Since today is Sunday, I watched today’s video about “Walking In Love”.

At some point, I will arise from my chair and move to my office, where I typically do a little writing. Oakley follows along with me and lies either at my feet or on a dog bed in the corner of my office.

As I saw Oakley lying at my feet, it made me realize three things: how much he loves me, how dependent he is upon me for all his needs, and how trusting he is that I will continue to provide for him. It was at this point that I suddenly realized how much Oakley’s actions aligned with Dr. Jeremiah’s message this morning about “Walking In Love”. It also reminded me how I should be more like Oakley in my relationship with God.

Oakley’s love for me is unconditional. He loves me regardless of whether I’m treating him like my best friend or yelling at him for barking. It doesn’t matter to him; he just wants to love and be loved. God has unconditional love for me. Even if my faith becomes weak, He still loves me. Even when I’m not treating people as kindly as I should, He still love me. Even if I walk down the wrong path, He still loves me and He’s always there to welcome me back with open arms.

The problem is the love I have for God is too often conditional. Don’t get me wrong, I always love God, but sometimes I allow how I’m feeling to determine how good of a Christian I’m going to be. Sometimes I think I can do things on my own instead of listening to Him. Sometimes I get angry at Him for letting things happen. Sometimes I question his love for me for allowing me to get Myasthenia Gravis. Sometimes I do things even though I know they’re wrong. Sometimes my love for God is conditional on whether or not things are going right in my life.

Oakley is completely dependent upon me for all his needs. His heritage has been so domesticated that I don’t know how long he’d survive in the wild on his own. Many dogs that are lost or are abandoned often starve because they don’t know how to hunt. I’m sure he could find water on his own, but food is another story. Oakley’s housebroken, so he’s dependent on me to let him out when he needs to go to the bathroom. He can’t open the doors and we don’t have a doggie door for him to use. If we’re gone, he’ll hold it until we get home. He simply doesn’t have accidents in the house. He’s dependent upon me for love. He loves nothing better than for me to pet and talk to him. He’ll immediately stop whatever he’s doing for an opportunity to get some love from me. I’m sure, if something happened to me, he would learn to love someone else in the same way, but for now, I am his everything. He will do whatever he can to please me.

I’m totally dependent on God for my existence and sustenance, but at times, I forget this. Sometimes I fall into the false trap of thinking that everything I have, I earned. Most of the time I think I’m pretty blessed, but once in a while I’ll see someone with a shiny new car, a nice boat, or a new house and wonder why God has provided them with those things, but not me. I often forget that He has already blessed me beyond what I deserve or that He has provided me with excellent doctors and the right medications to help me through my battle with Myasthenia Gravis. Sometimes I fall into the trap of thinking I’m providing for myself.

Finally, Oakley trusts me implicitly that I will continue to provide for him. He doesn’t worry if he’ll have food or treats tomorrow; he knows they will be there. He doesn’t worry when he rips up a toy that he won’t have anything else to play with. He knows and trusts that I will provide for him. When we’re on a walk, he doesn’t worry about getting lost. He trusts me to find our way back home. When he’s tired, he doesn’t have to sleep with one eye open. He trusts that I have provided a safe environment for him and will continue to do so.

With MG, there are times when I worry about tomorrow and what it may bring. Those are the times when I forget I “walk in love” with God. There are times when I worry about money and whether I can cover all our expenses. There are times I forget that God has provided me with Social Security and a nest egg to live off. There are times when I worry that I am all alone. Those are the times I need to look at the footprints in the sand beside me.

Oakley “walks in love” with me, not distrustingly, not conditionally, not questioningly. He simply loves and believes.

Why don’t I always “walk in love” with God? He’s always there for me and willing to “walk in love” with me. It’s because I’m weak and I allow my thoughts to be distracted, to become filled with hesitation and doubt. It’s because I’m human. It’s because I’m not perfect.

That’s why I have to make a conscious effort to “walk in love” with God. I have to choose to “walk in love” with God. Sometimes I wish God wouldn’t have given us free will. Sometimes I wish He’d just make all the decisions for me. If He did that, I’d never have the opportunity to show Him how much I love and believe in Him.

I know I will slip. I know I will falter. But I choose to make a conscious effort to “walk in love” with God. I want to show Him how much I love Him, how dependent I am upon Him for everything, and how trusting I am that He will continue to provide.

I want to be just like Oakley.