5 Things!

I am blogging tonight for my own benefit, to remind myself of things I already know and to keep my focus where it needs to be. Last week, I had to suddenly retire my Seeing Eye dog, something I wasn't planning to do for another four years. As I am struggling to adjust back to life with a cane, I am sentimental, stressed, and uncertain of my surroundings. My mind keeps replaying old familiar truths, and as I ponder them, they give me strength and courage. So, I am writing them down for myself—and if you are in a place of bewilderment, feel free to read on.  Maybe these words are for you, too.

In college, I was the chaplain for the Collegians Chorale. My main responsibility was to lead in weekly devotionals. I teach biblical lessons the same way I write—creatively, off-the-cuff, and often sprinkled with humor. I don't remember most of what I taught back then, but a few of the lessons God taught me during that time have remained in my heart and mind, and that's where my thoughts are drawn today. The following came to me at the ripe old age of twenty, yet God continues to teach me through its simplicity, and I have yet to master it.

  

Five Things I Learned about God from My Seeing Eye Dog

(Disclaimer: This is not an all-inclusive list, nor is it meant to be anything more than a metaphor.  It has its weaknesses, and its strengths. Take it for what it is and nothing more.)

The generic term for dogs who guide the blind is “dog guide.” I will henceforth refer to my dogs as my guide, and tell what they have taught me about how to follow the ultimate Guide, who never grows weary or tired, never requires correction, and will never need to retire. In this analogy, I am a follower and nothing more.

I have learned many lessons from my now three retired Seeing Eye dogs. My first dog taught me to be brave and gave me the courage to have adventures I would have never considered without him. My second one taught me that I am a sinner saved by grace, as she frustrated me to no end and revealed all the ugliness I possess. My third dog is a charmer, and a flirt, and from him I have learned about establishing boundaries, standing firm, and letting my yes mean yes and no mean no. But the most significant things I have learned from my dogs revolve around God. More specifically, walking with God.

1. . Walk in step with your Guide.

One of the first things that every student must do when they arrive at The Seeing Eye is something called a “Juno walk.” It's an exercise in which a blind person holds onto a harness handle and a leash, but they’re attached to a trainer, not a dog. The trainer practices basic commands with the student, and pulls them around at different speeds, exerting varying amounts of force to pull on the harness. From this, they are able to determine the proper pace and pull to pair students and dogs together so that they will be compatible with each other. It's actually quite scientific, and a little comical as the Juno walk is done in public, where strangers passing by can watch and listen to the student praise the trainer as if they are a dog. (I am always overly dramatic when I do Juno walks, making them a game. May as well laugh, right?)

As Christians, Christ-followers, we often have great ideas of what we are going to do for God. We take off at a sprint to go do whatever it is that we've determined God has in store for us, and sometimes we forget to actually run these plans by Him first. Or conversely, sometimes God leads us in a new direction that we are not at all interested in pursuing. We lag behind, hold back, and have to be dragged, kicking and screaming, in His direction.

In either scenario, we are not walking as followers. We put ourselves in danger and over-complicate the work of the Guide by being short-sighted in our priorities and failing to grasp that the Guide sees the big picture, and we only see a part of it. As followers, we learn to walk when directed and to keep pace with the director.

2. Walk in the way of your Guide.

As a blind person walking with a dog guide, I have a set goal or destination in mind when I set out. It's often as simple as walked the length of a block, stop at the corner, and cross the street.  In my mind, it's a nice, even straight line.

What I don't know is that, in the middle of the block, there's a kid's bike parked on the sidewalk, a ball rolling toward me, and a car sticking out of someone's driveway into the street. My guide's job is to deftly navigate all of these obstacles I can’t see and safely get us where we need to go. If he sidesteps me into the street, I trust that he is doing so to protect me from some other danger, that he has calculated the risks of the new path, that he will take me back to the familiar sidewalk when it is safe, and that he isn't going to put me in harm's way, no matter how dizzying the street noises are.

In the same way, our heavenly Guide sees a bigger picture than we do. He calls us on journeys, and we set out with expectations of where we are going, only to be re-routed, detoured, and side-stepped from time-to-time. Sometimes the routes He chooses don't make sense to us, and sometimes they're frightening, but He always has the end goal in mind, and if He's guiding, we can trust that He knows what He is doing.

3. Praise your Guide.

This is my favorite part of working with a new Seeing Eye puppy. Every time they do something good, you praise them! Every time! You praise them for sitting on command, you praise them for eating their breakfast, you praise them for stopping at a curb, for turning right, for ignoring the sandwich on the sidewalk, for walking past the barking dog in someone's yard, for avoiding obstacles, and for any other little thing you can think of to tell them you appreciate them. This praise serves to strengthen the bond between guide and follower, to build the confidence of each side of the team, and to remind the follower of all the work the guide is doing on their behalf.

As followers of Christ, we need to remember to praise God every day and in every way. We should praise Him that we wake up in the morning, praise Him for breathing, for being able to walk, and talk, and sing, and dance! We should praise Him when He works miracles, and when He bestows small favors on us too. We praise Him in sun, in rain, in snow, in wind, and in storms that make praising seem impossible. Constant praise reminds us and makes us more aware of the work our Guide is doing, builds our confidence in Him, and draws us closer to Him.

1. . Trust your Guide.

This point follows very naturally after point number three. As we praise our Guide, we learn that He can be trusted.

Morris Frank was the first person to ever have a Seeing Eye dog. Her name was Kiss, but he changed it to Buddy because Kiss wasn't strong enough for his liking. There is a famous story about a time he was traveling alone with Buddy and staying in a hotel. He was on an upper floor and was heading out for the day. He came to the elevator and pushed the button. The doors opened and he told Buddy, “Forward.” Buddy didn't move. Morris wasn't the most patient of men, and he again instructed her sternly to go “forward.” She refused. Morris then made the classic mistake almost every dog user makes at some point in time. He let go of the harness handle and started forward on his own. Just as he began to step out, a housekeeper came running down the hall, yelling for him to stop. The elevator doors had opened, but the elevator car wasn't there!

Morris had exchanged his judgment for that of his guide. Based on what he knew to be true, he was making a wise and safe choice. But Buddy knew better, and she did what she could to protect him from the danger he knew nothing about. Morris learned a lesson on that day about trusting his guide's judgment, and not his own.

Our Guide has plans to prosper us, not to harm us, to give us a hope and a future. He can be trusted.

1. . Learn to love your Guide and let your Guide love you.

This is the easiest and the hardest of the five lessons. We don't have to do anything to make our Guide love us. He already does, so much so that He gave his life to save us from our sins. The hard part is accepting that love, and allowing it to change us.

While in training with a new dog, much attention is given to “bonding.” Students and dogs need to become a team, a pair, a functioning unit. When a dog loves their master, they will literally be willing to lay their lives down for them. And when a follower loves their Guide, they will not be afraid to let Him take the lead.

Love closes the circle and brings the five steps to completion. Walking in the way of the Guide, in step with the Guide, praising the Guide, trusting the Guide, and loving the Guide all support one another. These five simple things teach the follower to follow and allow the Guide to lead the way.

I am presently in a place I didn't anticipate a few weeks ago, and yet I know my God and my Guide is faithful. He sees the big picture. He knows where we're going and how we're going to get there. I need to trust that He is good and let Him have the lead.

Two nights ago, I prayed with tears streaming down my cheeks, asking my Guide to direct me. We have three major decisions that we need to make in the next year or so (prior to bringing our daughter home), and I don't know which way to go. I feel like I am standing at a busy intersection on a noisy street, and there is confusion everywhere. I have no idea how all these meanderings on our journey are going to come together to get us to our final destination, but my Guide does. I am choosing to rely on His vision, on His cues, and His timing. I am learning to be a better follower, and to step forward in faith, leaving fear behind.

 “Give thanks to the Lord.  His love endures forever.”