I wasn’t a dog person. My husband is. He grew up always having a dog around. Always a Sheltie. It only took 12 years for the inevitable to come. The Sunday before Thanksgiving, I became a dog person. He is quite cute. I tell him it’s a good thing he is.
This is the type of action around here. I had 15 minutes to run upstairs to prepare for a women’s Christmas dinner. In the midst of the solitude of the bathroom I hear, proudly “Mama! I made my own after school snack. A tortilla with ketchup and cheese…but I slipped in the puppy’s pee on the way to microwave it.”
I was thinking of this story a couple of days ago as I was reading through my Facebook page. I had asked “upon hearing the word obedience, do you have a positive or negative association?” A friend wrote: “It makes me think of the astonishment I felt the first time my dog sat on command.”
(As a side note, dogs seem to bring out the only positive association with obedience. Almost all other comments or emails I received leaned towards the negative.)
Sitting on command. We are having glimpses in our household of puppy obedience. Right now the main reason Cooper obeys is memory. He is associating, “the last time I did this she gave me one of those tasty liver treats.”
He remembers. He connects. He obeys.
Our memory and our behaviour is more complex. Our will comes into play. But it did lead me into pondering the role of remembrance in obedience.
When I look back at my life, I have several spiritual markers. Events, people, and decisions that were important to the fabric of my life. Some were subtle at the time. Others loomed large. But together they have been part of what has formed my character and my values.
And they have been the moments, sometimes long seasons, where I have learned first hand the character of God.
I can read in Scripture about God as Provider and know that it is true. But it dwells deeper in my being when we had unemployment and saw day-to-day the ways He provided. His names are limitless.
God as
Healer
Rock
Forgiving
Shelter
Defender
Comforter
Peace
Power
Refuge
Hope
When you look back at your life, which of these, or an additional name, do you know because you have walked through it?
I can look back at 2009-2011 and know without a doubt that God will take care of me. He will not forget me. I am not alone. He has resources beyond any job we may or may not have. And he shares.
That memory propels me towards obedience. The memory reminds me that though we pass through rivers they will not sweep over us and when walk through fire we will not be burned. (Isaiah 43:2)
That memory flashes when, in a new situation, God says “Trust me- step out even when you don’t have it all figured out. Even when you don’t know where the resources will come from.”
There are a thousand more stories in my memory reservoir. Of faithfulness and redemption. Of wisdom and kindness. Of strength and truth.
And when new territory comes into view, a way I have yet to experience God, the culmination of these reminds me to taste and see that the Lord is good.
And in moments when it really feels like foreign land, the memories of others speaks to me. I have found so many mentors in spiritual classics and biographies. From Amy Carmichael to St Augustine. CS Lewis to Teresa of Avila. And beyond books, the real lives I intersect daily. My neighbors, my community and my friends, online and in real life. Their lives, struggles and decisions swirl around for me to consider.
Our collective memory says his mercies are new every morning. Trust. Obey.
What can you remember about God, that will encourage you in obedience?
To read the other posts in this series, please click on the graphic below!
PS After writing, I wanted to make sure I was clear on experience not being the only prompt in obedience. I hope my heart comes across. There are times when we obey with no memory or previous experience. God’s word calls us to that. That holds true while saying, remembrance is also a part of how God speaks to his people.
Linking today with Wisdom Wednesday
I don’t think I would have ever connected memory with obedience, but this is so true! When I remember all the other times God has caught me when I jumped, it makes the current leap of faith I am called to that much easier.
By the way, still laughing at your son’s snack… and that he slipped in dog pee with it in hand. Straight out of a slapstick comedy! 🙂
As a young person, I just always KNEW God would always provide for me. And then… then I wasn’t so poor, in fact I was quite blessed in comparison.. and when life got a little shaky I worried. (Worry was a huge part of my life for a long time – a sin that resulted from thinking I had to control my situation.) Coming full circle, back to faith and dependence and JOY in curling up in my Father’s hand… things are shaky, my husband’s business will not be here next year if nothing changes. I’m concerned for his employees and for him, but I’m not worried. Whatever happens, nothing can keep me from what God wants for me. Remembering that all that we’ve been through has brought me here and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, helped me bring thoughts of worry and backup plans into submission and obedience. If God isn’t concerned that I have enough money for my Dish, then I will be blessed with more reading time… or whatever it is he gives me.