About three weeks ago, our golden retriever, Jessie, ran away. It was deliberate and defiant. I went out in the yard with her and with Tuck (our puppy) to do their morning “thing”. No different than any other day. They go potty, come in and get a treat and then the three of us go for a walk. This had been working just fine. Until that day…
Jessie had gotten accustomed (or so we thought) to Tuck. They would wrestle and play, and sometimes she would get frustrated with him. But overall she seemed very content and happy and was probably getting more attention than she ever had before. But apparently it stirred up a restlessness in her to do her own thing.
And so, we go out on this particular morning. I was standing on the back porch watching them, and when they were finished with their morning “duties” I called them back in. Normally, not a huge issue. But Jessie decided it was her day to declare freedom and independence. She looked at me, crossed the street and while I called her took off running. You could almost hear her laughing inside and chanting, “I’m free! I’m free!”
I won’t go into all the details, but let’s just say that we spent the rest of the morning searching for her in places that she might normally go – other people’s yards, newly constructed houses, the open fields. We asked neighbors and construction workers. No luck. She had wandered beyond her familiar territory it seemed. And it got her in trouble.
After making a call to the animal shelter, we found out that she had, indeed, been picked up. This meant a trip to the police station, a bunch of paperwork, a $50.00 fine, and a map to the shelter that was 45 minutes away. She committed the crime, but I had to pay the price.
The story has a happy ending. We brought her home. But she wouldn’t have been able to make it home on her own. It took intervention on our part. She needed to be rescued.
Our new fence just got completed yesterday. It surrounds our whole back yard. It is for Jessie’s and Tuck’s own good. Left to their own devices, they would wander again and get completely lost. The fence allows them to enjoy the freedom of the outdoors within protected boundaries. It protects them from other animals that could hurt them.
So reminded me of me. Of us as humans. God gave us protective boundaries for our own good, because He loves us so much. They are extravagant, generous boundaries that offer us every opportunity to enjoy all that He’s given us. But we want to wander. We want to explore outside those parameters. How bad can it be? It looks enticing to run out into the perceived “freedom” of doing our own thing. Problem is, it’s a false freedom. It’s fun for a little while and then we discover that we’ve gone too far and no longer hear Him calling us back home. We’re lost and don’t have a clue how to get back. What once seemed like freedom, now seems like a prison that we can’t escape from.
Amazingly enough, though we, like Jessie, did the crime, Jesus paid the price for our wanderlust. He wanted us back. He did what it took to make that happen. Our relationship with Him was more important to Him than what we did wrong. He said, “I’ll take the bill. It’s on me.” And literally, it was all on Him. Everything I ever did or ever will do wrong. Every time that I get caught up in doing my own selfish thing and make choices that take me away from my “home” with Him. On Him.
And each time I get distracted and wander off, He invites me to come back to the safety of the fence He has built for me – a fence that protects me from leaving the place that I most long to be – close to Him. Sometimes I hear that call when it’s just a whisper. Sometimes He has to shout. And sometimes He just plain has to rescue me from myself. But each time, He lovingly brings me back and shows me once again why I never should have even wanted to leave in the first place. All that I ever needed and wanted is within those precious boundaries.
I am writing this on my back porch. Both dogs are here with me. They’ve discovered and sniffed at and come to understand this new boundary. There is no more chasing. They are content at my feet in the safety of a beautiful new fence. And Jessie has never looked happier….
Psalm 36:7-8 – How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humaity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings. You feed them from the abundance of your own house, letting them drink from your rivers of delight.
Psalm 139:5 – You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.
