Lying Still
By Peggy Kleckner
“Be still and know
that I am God….”
Psalm
46:10a (NIV)
I
have a dog with an aggressive behavior problem. We didn’t know this little detail
when we got her and, truthfully, it is just plain hard. Her first reaction to
another dog is aggression. I have noticed it is her response to fear. When she
feels afraid, she displays anger. Apparently, somewhere in her past, she had a
run-in with a dog that has left a lasting impression on her. She sees or hears
another dog and she answers with aggression: full force, hair on end, yank with
full body weight-against-the-leash aggression. I am not exceptionally strong
and calm pitted against the aggressive fear displayed by a four-year-old black
lab…hence my description that this particular dog behavior is “hard.”
I
don’t want my dog to live out her life (or mine for that matter) unable to walk
calmly through the neighborhood. I could just keep her in the confines of our
home and yard, but that is an awfully small life.
What
I came to recognize as a part of God’s plan of healing was an older dog in the
neighborhood. It is a very large, docile dog. He doesn’t move toward us, or
away from us. He just lies still. I have found that I can count on that. So, I am using that part of my walking path
as a training ground for my dog. She
notices the dog and responds with anger and aggression so I - - as her master -
- respond in return with reproof of her actions. She settles and two steps
later attempts the same reaction. I reprove again and so it goes. Meanwhile,
amidst this commotion, the large dog remains still.
Yesterday,
for the first time we walked by without incident. No, my dog is not wagging her
tail in friendliness or going up to meet new dogs yet, but there has been
progress. She has begun to discern what behavior her owner will allow. She has
discovered this because God put a still dog in her path. One dog, which is
willing to not react negatively to her displayed behavior.
I
wonder if perhaps we as believers are called to be a still witness in front of
an agitated society. Sometimes we are not called to confront or to repair, we
are called to witness to His strength, which allows us to stand still. In our
stillness, they may come to know God, or know more of Him.
GOING DEEPER:
1.
Do you allow God to keep your heart still when confronted with anger?
2. Are you standing firm in your faith, so that
others can see Him more clearly?
FURTHER READING:
Peggy is a wife and
mother of four adult children - - two sons and two stepsons, and is an active
encourager at Oakwood Church in Delafield.
