They won’t stop staring at me.
Being the object of ones’ stare can be unnerving, perhaps annoying, or at least uncomfortable.
My three dogs regularly fix their gaze on me. The Golden Retriever will perch himself in front of me and just stare at me, unflinchingly, seemingly forever.
“What do you want, dog!” My distain for his gaze, I realize, is my interpretation that he is constantly asking me for something…and I will often admonish my faithful friend and impolitely tell him to leave me alone.
“I’m not here to serve you or constantly meet your wants and needs,” I bark at him, as if he could have that explained to him.
And then the Spirit of God spoke a lesson to me. I had it all wrong. The dog is not asking me for anything. He simply wants to know what the master is doing.
“Tell me what to do Dad and I will. Move and I’ll move with you. Direct me and I’ll obey. Care for me and love me and I’ll welcome it with joy. I want to know what you’re doing Dad. You fascinate me and all my devotion is toward you.”
My dog, River, has an unwavering love. If you have or had dogs, you have experienced the same. The lesson is obvious. God is teaching me through River, to do as he does. To stare at Adonai to see what He’s doing or directing and then respond to Him. River can’t help himself. He can’t choose independence apart from me; he’s not wired that way. River is telling me that he’s not whole without me. I, on the other hand, do have free will and I confess that I try to navigate life without looking to the Master as I should. But River gets it…there is no life without me. Practically, I am his source…for food, shelter, direction, love. Why would he look elsewhere?
Today, haverim, let’s fix our gaze on the Lifegiver, the Source, our Reason for Being.
What are You up to, Master?
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