On my way to praise band practice in the early Sunday morning hours, I see a woman - a friend of mine - who is walking her dog. I see her just about every Sunday. Her dog is huge, bigger than her. I remember the first time I saw her. Rather than her walking the dog, the dog was dragging her. I felt so bad for her. She is a tiny woman and to see this brute of a dog that she obviously had no control over yanking her all over the neighborhood with her struggling to keep up, was just painful to watch.
I'd heard she inherited the dog, that it wasn't hers to begin with, so it wasn't like she had this puppy she didn't train right. It came to her home fully in charge. I used to wonder why she didn't just give up on him and find him another home, especially when she looked so miserable every time she was out with him. I knew at any day I would hear about her having to go to the emergency room to get her arm put back in its socket.
Then this Sunday I noticed something. She was walking the dog again (in her pajamas as she always does) and she had complete control of the canine. Complete control. He wasn't charging full force ahead, but rather walked just a few paces in front of her. She was even carrying a cup of coffee!
Rather than give up on this mighty mutt, she had gotten stronger. She persevered through the tough, overpowering moments and came through victorious to the point of delighting in this animal and the leisurely stroll. She even waved to me while she was walking, something she could have never done previously.
What a wonderful lesson about life. She didn't give up. She didn't take the easy road. She just trudged on through the tough times and ended up stronger, more in control and happy.
Oftentimes, we look for the easy way out when things aren't going so well. My husband likes to tell me I always look for the "escape route" when facing struggles. Rather than deal with the problem, sometimes I want out. While that may be the simpler approach and leave me anxiety free, it also leaves me weaker for it, just as thin-skinned as I was to begin with and pathetically less capable to handle a similar situation in the future.
I am who I am today because of the failures, successes and journeys to and through both. And pray I am stronger, better and happier for it all. While I'm pretty sure my friend didn't enjoy being pulled by a brute dog every morning, she certainly is enjoying the animal's company now. She has peace. I have a long road ahead of me as the Father continues to grow and mold me into the person He wants me to be. And while I do not look forward to the struggles and battles ahead, I pray I can have the perseverance to hold tightly to the leash and enjoy the leisurely stroll on the other side, when all is completed.
