Spike whimpered as he sat beneath the mulberry tree.
He hated his pet cone and could not understand why I had put it on him. His left front paw revealed wounds from a fight with another dog. Spike had managed to dig under the fence around the yard and enter a neighbor’s property. There, he did what dogs do—got into a fight with another dog that attacked him. He yelped and limped home as soon as he was able.
Trying to heal his wounds, I put medicine on the paw, but Spike was not content with this. He wanted to lick his wounds, thinking his way was a better way to heal his paw. That is why I put a pet cone around his head.
As I watched Spike, I realized that I, too, love to lick my wounds. When I am given directions and rules, I resist boundaries, preferring to follow my own heart and do what comes naturally to me because God’s way does not make sense. Rather than admit I have erred, I blame someone else. Then I bear a grudge against them—repeatedly reviewing it in my mind and talking with others about it. When someone suggests a cure such as forgiveness, I push back because I believe I am right and they are wrong.
Eventually, I reach the point where my wounds don’t get better. God restrains me to settle me down so I will listen to Him. If only I had obeyed His instructions every step of the way.
Submission and obedience to God are less painful than the correction He gives when I do not surrender. He warns us that His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts.
Is there any area where you refuse to submit to God because it goes against what you think is right?
(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)
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Marcellus George is an author and a professor of theology. He and his wife are thankful for their adopted twin sons. He enjoys writing and reflecting on all the things God has done for us in adopting us. You can connect with him on his website, "Lessons From the Adoptive Journey," at https://marcellusgeorge.com.