A Lesson in Faith from My “Kids”

Tonight as I lay sprawled out on my back atop a bunch of chairs at my church down the road, I heard the Lord call me for the umpteenth time to come with Him to where He is calling me – and thought of the phenomenal lesson I am learning daily from the Walk by Faith dogs.
How will I get to where I am going? I have wondered so often. How can I come with you, Lord? I have thought as I have considered the pathway to get there. How can I leave where I am? I have wondered as I pondered the uncertainty of where He is taking me? And how can I possibly go there, to that place you are calling me, Lord? I have contemplated – rather, feared – so often. Tonight, as the Lord beckoned me once more, I pictured some of my sweet Walk by Faith dogs getting to where they need to go.

Molly, my paralyzed newest addition, walks with her body up in the air and her legs in front of her – up in the air also. One of her legs can’t even bend, but she gets to where she wants to go – without hesitation. Paralyzed Mercy gets places by dragging her body behind her, with her legs tucked in a sweet little bundle. Winnie, with just two feet, goes places by hoisting her body up in the air and once in a while touching a rear leg to the ground as though it were a foot. Glory, blind, doesn’t sit around wondering where to go next. She goes. They don’t stall. They don’t hesitate. They don’t debate. They don’t wonder. They don’t fear. They don’t hold back. They don’t stay glued to their current location for fear of how they will get to their next destination. They get up and go.

Not only do these very special dogs get to the destinations they desire, but they get their in their own unique ways. They do not look in the mirror to see how they look each day. They do not look at each other to compare how they must look compared with their fellow dogs. They do not look down at their bodies to examine their ways of walking. They do not hide their bodies for fear of looking different. They don’t think about these matters at all. They get up and go.

What about me? How often do I look in the mirror? How often do I compare myself to a fellow traveler? How often do I scold myself for looking, seeming, acting, feeling different from somebody else? How often do I feel I fall short? How often do I look at God and come up with yet another excuse of why I don’t want to go to that next place He is calling me? How often do I walk by sight instead of by faith? How often do I let circumstances stop me from what I truly need to do – get up and go?

I am learning. Slowly. I am a slow learner. Funny, I am a fast walker when I exercise. But I am a slow learner, and a slow walker, when it comes to walking with the Lord. Thankfully, God is so loving. God is so patient. God is so amazing. God is so wanting me to come with Him that He is willing to meet me where I am, to encourage me, to reach out His hand and to hold my own – leading me, guiding me, teaching me, reminding me, I am not in this alone. I am walking with the Lord.

As I wrap this up, I feel the peace in my home. The dogs are all resting. They have had a long day of getting to where they need to go. It is my time to rest now – after I do my nightly duty of getting all the Walk by Faith canine kids to bed. Smile. How blessed I am.

Lord, thank you for being so patient with me. Thank you for teaching me to walk. Thank you for holding my hand. Thank you for leading me gently. Thank you, Lord, for you. I love you, my Father. My precious, precious Father. Amen. 

Please visit Walk by Faith Ministry at https://www.walkbyfaithministry.com.