Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Dog Whisper

I've been watching the Dog Whisperer with Cesar Milan lately because I do have a dog. Her name is Jenna and she is a yellow lab. She is a wonderful dog on the days she obeys and not so much on the days she chooses to run away, get into the garbage or poop on our carpet. So, I watch Cesar work with dogs in hopes that I can be a better dog owner and ultimately change the behavior of Jenna.

I was impressed last night with a "red zone" rottweiler named Ricki. Cesar began to rehabilitate Ricki over a period of two weeks and true to form the dog was a completely different dog when he was brought back to his owner.

The owner was amazed and saw a miracle right before her eyes. Cesar said something that has some profound spiritual implications... "dogs move on from the past more easily than humans." This dog had attacked other dogs regularly and consistently. So, when Ricki didn't do it and was around all kinds of dogs off-leash it was a miracle.

How many times do we as humans live in the past? I mean in regards to our sinful nature? If God has forgiven us and given us victory over sin... why do we live in the past? Romans 6:1 & 2 says,
"What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?"

And, yet, there is the crux. A sinful past and a renewed future. Both residing, in a sense, together. If we could just learn to let go of the past to live in the present victory, I believe we would see more and more victories and grow closer to the Lord we believe saved us.