Dog Fence, Sin, God, and Discipline
So, you may wonder what a dog fence has to do with the other topics in my title. We recently installed an underground fence for our dog Tucker. In case you don’t know what this is, there is a wire that runs underground that is linked to a transmitter on our dog’s collar. When he gets too close to the wire, the transmitter will give a warning beep, and if Tucker does not turn around, he will receive a shock to remind him that he needs to get back in our yard. Pretty simple concept.
So, Dena and I have been working with Tucker to teach him the boundaries that he needs to stay within. He is a Westie (a terrier breed), so he is very hard-headed and strong-willed.
So, the training starts without the shock and just the warning beep while the dog learns the boundary. After a few days, we turned on the shock part of the collar. The first day with the shock turned on, we walked Tucker around the yard, and he did great. I stayed in the yard, and Dena left the yard, and Tucker stayed. But, then he got the real test. Dena stayed in the yard, and I left the yard. As he usually does, Tucker trotted right along beside me and did not even slow down at the boundary.
He got zapped really good. He let out a loud yelp, jumped and ran back into the yard. Needless to say, this experience really scared him. We spent the next several minutes playing with him and calming him down. Of course now, we are scared when he gets close to the boundary because we don’t want him to get shocked. We know how much it hurts him, and we want him to stay safe.
How similar this is to us and our relationship to God. God gives us a wonderful backyard to play in. He gives us all we need to be content in this life and safe. He sets up clear boundaries, not because He is mean, but to protect us. He does it out of love.
How often do we get close to the boundary He has established? How often do we hear the warning beep of our sin and rebellion but do not turn around? How often do we get “zapped” by our sin only to run back into the safe haven of our yard wanting love and affirmation and protection? How much does it hurt God to watch this happen?
When Tucker got zapped, he had two choices. He could have run away from our yard. He would have run further into his “sin” and into the dark unknown and away from protection. Instead, he retreated into the safe boundary to rest in my arms of protection. This is the same as God’s true children. His true children run back to Him for protection and comfort, while others run away and further into sin and rebellion. It is heart-breaking to witness this happen.
Tucker still does not understand why the boundary is in place (he probably never will). But, he knows he must obey it. We may not know why God has placed certain boundaries on us, but we must obey them anyway. We must understand that His ways are higher than our ways, and His understanding is higher than our understanding (Isaiah 55:8,9). If this applies in my relationship with Tucker, how much more does it apply in my relationship with God?
July 18th, 2007 at 10:26 am
Hopefully we at least understand that the boundaries God sets for us are for our own good. Relating your blog to Pastor’s sermon last Sunday, I wonder. Why is it we believers often feel compelled to impose our individual God-placed boundaries on others who may not have be given the same yard to play in? This is an old struggle of mine… Why are people who should understand grace better than most the ones who tend to say, “Shame!” the fastest. I include myself in this charge — I see someone at church dressed in a provocative manner and I too think, “Shame.” But what right do I have? Where grace and correction collide, why am I inclined to correct? Maybe, for that person, the Holy Spirit isn’t working on modesty. And, while modesty is a biblical concept it isn’t as though we have clear standards like, “Don’t murder.” (I don’t have an agenda here, by the way. I’n not sneakily thinking of some church decision and trying to trap people. It is simply an observation I’ve made particularly from our years among groups that promote separation.)
So, thanks for the blog and encouraging conteplation of God’s grace and work in my life. Well done.