A Short Leash

Shep and I often laugh about God keeping us on "a short leash". 

Let me help you with an example.  Have you ever been out in a public place and seen a family with a toddler on a leash?  That almost sounds inhumane.  However, marketing experts have dressed it up in cute colors and made it a trunk harness instead of a collar.  But the purpose of this harness with a cord is to keep the toddler from getting too far away from their parents.  It isn't meant to deprive the toddler, only protect him or her.

If you have children of your own then you know which kid of yours would need such a thing.  Some kids come wired in a way that keeps them close by without having to be reminded.  Other kids come ready to tackle the world and explore unknown places.  These are the ones who usually need the leash...and they usually can't afford to have much slack in the rope.

Well, this is the kind of thing Shep and I laugh about.

In our 14 years of marriage we have had one situation after another to keep us close in.  I suppose if we had a rebellious bent we would run head-long away from God.  But we know better...He can find you always.  His Word tells us we can't ever go where He is not.

But finances, desperation, depression, hopelessness, close calls, and troubling situations have been allowed to stay as fixtures in our lives.  We laugh because it just always seems to be "something" harnessing us, holding us under His protective watch and guidance even when our feet would beg to go another way.

But there is also an amazing thing that happens with this close kind of proximity with God.  Faith blossoms, hope endures, peace overrides, grace oozes, courage come alive, mercy triumphs, and love is lavish.  As much as Shep and I want to fight the very things that keep us close to His will for us we can't deny the things that have been born and grown during the last 14 years.  Just when you think you have been struggling through making it day after day...God will surprise you with what He has been doing in the process.

This was shown to me at the beach in a beautiful picture.

I mentioned in my previous post that we were dealing with a tropical storm and a dim outlook for our week.

I just couldn't stand it and I felt like God was telling us to believe Him to calm this storm.  (I mean He does have this kind of situation pegged in His resume', right?)

So, Shep and I left the beach house and went out into the gusting wind and rain.  We ran out and stood on the beach and surveyed the gloom with our eyes.  Not behind glass windows but with our bodies feeling the sheer force of it.  And we both knew what to do....pray.

Shep and I (short leash crew that we are) turned toward one another on that dreary beach and cried out to the One who can calm the sea.  Shep prayed out loud for God to stop this storm, move it away and redeem our remaining time at the beach.  Nothing was held back.  We prayed with passion and purpose because God tells us to.  It felt so right...like the most natural thing in the world to do.

But...most folks I know wouldn't do that....and probably think we were crazy to do it ourselves.

However, this short leash gives us confidence.  Instead of just hemming us in, it holds us close to the One most powerful to help His children.  We know we are protected and, therefore, enabled to do the crazy...You see when God keeps you in close you learn some things about Him.  You see how he cares about you.  You see how he cares about big things like storms and little things like vacations.

Did God move the storm away because of our prayers?  I can't say for sure, but what I can say is that He moved the storm.  It turned from its track and we awoke the next day to beautiful blue sky and calm seas.  And the other thing I know for sure is that He loves us enough to do such a thing.

And the reason I know...
I've been hanging out real close to Him for oh, the last fourteen years or so.