My three dogs have a good life. They get feed, they get watered, they get to spend their days doing as they please, any "appointments" that they have are handled by my lovely wife and myself, and when they have to go somewhere we bath them, transport them, etc. They do not work, no one yells at them, they are not attacked for their lifestyle or views, and most of all they are loved by almost everyone that meets them.
However, with all of that said I would not want their life. Their lives are limited and they have no means of taking advantage of opportunities on their own. Sure they have freedom to do as they please, but they can only do so within the confines of our backyard. Anytime they are outside the fence they are on a leash and they limited in what they can do. This is not the life that I want or yearn for.
I know you are asking what this has to do with God, church, etc. Simple, we have to decide as believers if we want freedom or safety. It is the simple choice to select safety and remain inside our "fence" and roam freely within it. We can do what we want, have little to no supervision, but we are completely dependent on others to provide for us. We have to be feed and watered (i.e. taught and matured) by others. We have little to no conflict and everyone that we meet likes us because we really have no views or opinions of our own and everything we do is controlled by others when we are outside our "fence". Basically, if we choose this life we have no ability to control what we do, when we do it, and how we do it, and the entire time we are forced to remain within boundaries defined by others to keep our "good life".
Then there is the freedom option. With that one we get to decide where we serve, how we serve, and when we serve. With that comes the cost of having to pay the price for the decisions you make. Some of these costs are less popularity with some people, and more with other people. We may not be as popular or loved because we are known to have views and opinions that are our own as well. Any anger that arises from others regarding our decisions, views, and actions will be directly expressed both to and towards you. To live this way also means that you are responsible for being sure the things you agree to are done. In addition to being responsible for your own actions and views, you typically will also become responsible for feeding and watering a few of the ones that have chosen to remain inside their "safety” fences.
Now I am not saying that we should want complete independence or freedom, as that is rebellion against God. What I am saying is that, to really serve God we have to leave the safety of the fences erected by other believers, leaders, and tradition and take the responsibility for living our own life with and for God. By doing that we lose some security, and we have to pay a higher price in terms of responsibility, but in return we are able to be the Christians we are called to. That means reaching the world, not just our fenced territory. That also means serving where God calls us, not where it is easiest. In addition, means controlling ourselves enough where we are able to be off the leash where we can roam where we want to go. With the decision to act freely also come the responsibility for our own spiritual life - i.e. growth and maturity - and not relying entirely on others to feed us.
Now when I say taking responsibility for our own growth, I do not mean that we do not learn from others, but that are not dependent on upon someone else for our growth. We take that responsibility to be the one that determines who and what we learn and where it is applicable in our lives. We also determine when lessons are applied.
I guess I have basically contrasted freedom versus unrealized slavery today, but I really think that to many Christians have desired the life of a “good dog” for too long and not desired to be fully human and self determined.
God did not call us to shrink back, but to fill the gap. We can only do that when we are free to move and act as God leads. That requires giving up some security and some comfort in exchange for independence and responsibility.
You may not personally be a fenced in believer. If so great. If you somewhat free to act I would encourage you to continue that process of gaining freedom, independence, and responsibility, and encourage all of the other believers around you to do the same. If you are living within a fence and being a “good Christian” then I would encourage you to begin the process of getting outside the fence and gaining the independence and freedom God is calling you too.
Have a great day, stay strong, be courageous, take responsibility, act freely, and serve God in all things.
