My Jack Russell likes to play fetch. He can get ball obsessive. My husband and I have two very different approaches to playing with him. When he brings the ball back, he keeps it in his mouth for a while and won’t bring it all the way back. My husband snaps his fingers and tells the dog to drop the ball. Sometimes he does and sometimes he doesn’t. There’s nothing right or wrong with this approach.
I just take a different approach. When my dog comes back, I just patiently wait. When he is ready, he drops the ball near me. He will look at the ball and then look at me. It is his way of asking me to throw the ball for him. Sometimes he even wags his tail. When he drops the ball and looks at me this way, I reach down and throw the ball for him. For me, the game isn’t about me, it’s for him to be able to chase the ball. I don’t want to make him bring me the ball on my terms, instead I let him bring it to me on his terms because we are playing his game of fetch.
It’s that whole idea of not fighting with life. I could try to force the dog to my will, but it feels right to let him come to me this way. I wonder if that’s why God gave us free will. I mean, God could call all the armies of angels down to earth and make us all bow to Him and do exactly what He said. Instead, He gave us free will. He lets me come to Him of my own choice and on my own terms.
I guess I love my dog enough to let him play his game of fetch his way. I wonder when it comes to life, maybe God loves us enough to let us live and experience life to it’s fullest even if that means there is going to be evil, pain, and suffering. I realize tonight that when God gives us free will, He isn’t just showing us infinite love, but also an amazing patience hoping that somehow, we will find out way back to Him. I pray that I am on the right path for that.
My faith saved me. May God’s peace reside in all of our hearts.
