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:
- Do you allow God to keep your heart still
when confronted with anger?
- 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.
