If you've seen any part of my Facebook in the past two weeks
you should not be surprised that I am the new owner of a little puppy named
Charlotte. So, it also should not surprise you that dear Miss Charlotte has
taught me a few things. First, I thought I had totally caught the baby bug, but
I can now officially say it has passed. Second, they aren't joking when they
say having a puppy is like having a baby. You get woken up by crying in the
middle of the night, you turn your back for 30 seconds and they're gone, you
have to avoid putting things on the bottom shelf because they get into
everything, you can't go into the bathroom by yourself without someone being at
your heals, if you don't give them enough attention they cry until you pick
them up, and don't even get me started on the potty house training! All of this
to say, I can wait on motherhood a while., I like my alone time, clean carpet,
and, well, privacy.
But aside from this, Charlotte has also taught me one pretty
significant spiritual lesson. She has developed a little attitude (wait, when
did my puppy go from toddler to teenager?) Well, miss Charlotte was being....
how do I put this nicely?.... a little butt. So the solution? When she gets
like this stick her collar on her for a little while. Then after an allotted
time, take it off. Mellows her out every time and gets her used to wearing one
since she had a fit the first time we put it on her. Well, Charlotte had
her collar on and it was time to take it off. She was starting to whine a
little about it. So I called her over, but much to my dismay, she wouldn't
come. I said, "Come here. I will take it off, but you have to come
here." Nope, she wouldn't. Ran to mom, ran to dad, ran to the slipper
she'd been chewing on, threw a crying fit, but would not come to me. I found
myself growing dismayed, "If she would only come to me, I would take it
off and she would be free and wouldn't have to cry anymore."
Finally, fifteen minutes later she finally gave up fighting to
get it off on her own, and her little prideful and disdainful attitude she had
towards me for putting it on, and walked over to me (with some guiding from
mom). Immediately I took it off and cuddled her in my arms. She was so relieved
she immediately started giving me kisses. I put her back down and sat down on
the couch. She then propped her little body and legs up on the sofa and started
crying again. Apparently, she wasn't ready to leave my arms. I picked her up
and she cuddled back down and fell asleep.
So, what is the spiritual lesson you may ask? Sometimes God
disciplines us. Hebrews 12:6 tells us that the "LORD disciplines those He
loves and chastens everyone He accepts as His son." But how many times
have I been disciplined and gotten the same attitude as Charlotte? How many
times have I been so ticked off at God during those times, that He would
discipline me, or even allow me to go through a hardship, that no matter what,
I wanted nothing to do with Him. And all the while God was standing there
looking at me trying to do it on my own and failing, shaking His head and
saying, "Rachel Rachel Rachel. You do not have to fight anymore. Come to
me. I will relieve you of your burden. All you have to do is come to me. You
can curl up safe in my loving arms. But you have to do it of your own free
will. I will not make you." Because thats just it. Once I do curl up with
the Father, I never want to leave. But somehow, I always do. But just like all
of us children that get off the beaten path, somehow, He always brings me back
to Him. And in His infinite and unconditional grace, He always takes me back. 
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