Oh boy, now I’ve done it. I’ve gotten my dog, Winston, used to the notion that we’re going for a walk every morning. I can see the proverbial handwriting on the wall, and it’s not something I want to read.
When the weather turns cool, I enjoy taking morning walks through the woods around our property. The colors, the smells, the crisp air – it is glorious. And it gives me a chance to bless my dog at the same time, as he likes nothing better than plowing the trail with his floppy muzzle, sampling a veritable smorgasbord of new scents.
I am, however, afraid I’ve created a monster. Winston has expectations now. What began as a blessing, a gift from me to him, has turned into something Winston expects … no, demands…almost every morning.
He whines, he looks as pathetic as a dog can look, and then he gets ornery and begins ramming me with his muzzle. It reminds me of a 13-year-old who whines, “You are, like, TOTALLY RUINING my life!” because her parents won’t let her stay out until 2 a.m. with her friends.
Know why Winston’s new demands bug me so much? (In addition to the obvious inconvenience of having a creature ceaselessly torment you to do something you may not want to do.) It bugs me because it reminds me of me.
I see in Winston my own tendency to turn blessings into expectations. I see how quickly a thankful heart can become a demanding heart.
I saw a T.V. show the other day about people in another country whose standard of living is infinitely worse than the absolute poorest of the poor in the United States. It reminded me that there are millions of people in this world who may never know one minute of what I’d call comfort, peace or fun. Life for them is a daily battle for basic needs I find myself taking for granted.
The things I tend to worry about would seem ridiculous to them.
And because I lose sight of that, I sometimes allow my prayers to sadly devolve from honest thankfulness and intercession for others to a shopping list of luxuries that most of the world could never imagine possessing in this life.
Oh yes, the God of the Bible has a generous heart and loves to bless His children. You’ll never hear me say otherwise.
But some in Christendom would like for us to believe that God is a heavenly vending machine, promising that if we simply send them a donation, God will make us healthy, wealthy and wise.
Blessings are peddled like snake oil and we are encouraged to demand that God make good on “promises” He never really promised. I’ve watched too many folks go down this path and end up disillusioned and miles away from the true heart of God.
God does make some wonderful promises to all who choose to accept His grace through Jesus Christ. But other promises in the Bible have conditions, and some were given in specific situations to specific people for specific reasons. It behooves us to know the difference.
I don’t need to show up at God’s throne each day the way Winston shows up at my feet now – demanding to get what he wants. Do I love my dog? Yes, I do. I wish he’d humbly trust that.
I have a feeling God is sometimes thinking the same thing when He looks at me.