Leave It
Week two of lesson’s we can learn from dog’s about serving God. (The first post in the series can be found here). Now on to the second lesson, it is short and simple.
When my wife and I took our dogs to puppy school we were told that we would learn a series of commands and actions for us to use with our dogs. One of them was the "Leave It" command.
This is the command that is really designed to save the dog’s life. When the dog is getting ready to lick a unknown liquid off the ground, or eat something from the street, or pick up something they find - "Leave It" tells them to immediately walk away from what ever it is, even if it looks like a treat, and come to their master. When you train the dog for this you put down parts of hot dogs where they learn that whatever you have for them is better then anything that they might get off the ground. You are suppose to ALWAYS give them a treat when you use the "Leave It" command as it is suppose to reinforce that they will always do better following the "Leave It" command then their nature to eat / lick what they find.
I have found that many times God uses the "Leave It" command with me. He tells me in no uncertain terms that I need to leave something alone. He is not doing this to make me suffer, or miss something great, He is doing this to protect me.
Sometimes the “LEAVE IT” command involves me not going to a certain place, not being around a certain person, not participating in certain events, and a whole list of other not’s and don’ts. When I look back, I realize that these LEAVE IT commands have kept me out of more trouble, and bad situations, then I could ever imagine. Things that looked good or appealing at the time, and even sometimes benign on the surface, really could have destroyed me if I had gone along with them or started down a path with the issue / topic / event / place or person.
Alcohol, and drugs have never been temptations to me, but I am a people person. Male or female I like to talk to people. I am friendly with about everyone I meet from clerks to long time acquaintances. I am always asking how someone is, how their day is, etc. Many times that has lead to acquaintances, again both male and female, asking me to help with this or that or go somewhere with them or do something with them. Many a time I have heard a LEAVE IT type command in my head, and quickly learned the importance of saying NO, or just being busy with something else at that time. I may not have done anything wrong ,or bad, if I had gone along, or went with them, but bad and evil would have been going on around me and I do not need to be there. No reason to risk something bad happening just because someone ask you to go. Many times we do not have to participate in a bad thing for it too effect us. Most of us have been in situations, or around people that were doing stupid things, that if the situation / event / person messed up or failed it would have impacted or hurt us, regardless of our participation. Sometimes mere presence is enough to be devastating to a persons life.
My parents always said that I seemed to know when a situation was going to be bad, and that I avoided them better then they had ever hoped. I am sure most parents say similar things about their children, but honestly when I have sensed God saying "Leave It", I have tried too. That does not mean I have always been successful. I have made LOTS of mistakes, more and of a variety that it is even hard for me to sometimes grasp, but I think I have avoided a lot of big mistakes by hearing LEAVE IT!!! and following the order immediately.
I also have to say that when I have followed the order, and left it, God always seems to reward me. Not because I deserve it, because we all know that I, nor you, deserve to be doing as well as we are, but because He wants too and He wants to encourage me. He teaches me with positive reinforcement that when He says LEAVE IT that there is something better waiting for me when I follow Him. Maybe it is nothing more then not reaping any more pain, but that is enough.
Simply when God tells me to “LEAVE IT” He is not trying to hurt or limit me, but to protect me. I think that is one of the hardest, but most valuable, lessons for the maturing Christian. God is not trying to limit you, He is protecting you. His reward/love is sweeter then any temptation that may pull you away, and when He tells us to LEAVE IT, He has reason, even if we do not and will not ever understand it. He is not protecting me because He is bored, and has nothing better too do, He is protecting me because I need it.
I hope you have a great day and are as blessed today as I am. Don’t forget to listen for that “LEAVE IT” command in your life as well.
