The Love-Lure: Life-Sized Change for a Little, Loving Pup

Let me tell you a tale about courage. Or better yet, let me show you how a young shortybull pup overcame the greatest of uncertainties…

In July of 2012, my husband set out to make a canine addition to our household.  My enthusiasm was admittedly sub-par, but I committed to characteristically supporting his quest.  Details aside, our good friends located two 7-month-old shorty-bull pups in Kansas that needed homes.  We decided we’d each adopt one and they might that way still enjoy the familiarity of each other’s company from time to time.  One round-trip ticket to Kansas and a full-day later, Rob flew our newbie pup back to Washington, re-homing her, and affectionately re-naming her “Shortie”.  A world-altering change for a little dog, no doubt, her apprehensions were understandable.  She spent week one hiding in her crate, her eyes as wide open as the door in front of her.  She watched our every move, and responded to our attention by moving deeper into her bedding.  She was relieved when we just ignored her altogether.

When she started taking calculated risks, I couldn’t resist the urge to spy on her progress.  First one front paw on the outside of the crate, then both.  Stand still and sniff around a few moments.  Retreat back to safety.  Recover sufficiently and repeat.  It was precious.  Eventually she chose to roam the house, but not without exaggerated anxiety and restlessness.  We’d giggle as she darted about completely oblivious to our calls and attempted interactions.  We were a big fat zero on the scale of interesting, and likely more of a threat than any comfort.  Move towards her and she’d move away.  Move away, and she could care less.  I honestly wondered if she’d ever “take” to us.

But nonetheless, as happens to most, she eventually became love-starved, and sought a source to satisfy.  When she’d approach us, we’d respect her vulnerability by responding instead of reaching, and Shortie quickly came to love us as we loved her back.  Shortie’s courage grew remarkably during that time, and with it her freedom of expression was unleashed.  We discovered her to be the most radically affectionate and sincerely comical dog we have ever known.  Years later, she remains true to her character and enriches us with consistent adventure and laughter.

But here’s the truth in this telling-tale:  Life cannot be lived without love, and where there is love, trust will grow. Trust produces courage, and courage the freedom of expression to enrich life continuously.  If I look back on my own process, I identify the need for love to establish trust.  It’s true we all desire (and need!) to be loved, but it is also true that vulnerability is necessary in order to receive it.  When we seek love from people or circumstances exclusively, however, we often experience the searing pain of rejection, let-downs, betrayals, and various disappointments.  Such is the nature of our world.  These damages compound, whether we know it or not, building inside of us fortresses of false protection to prevent repeat-traumas and avoid vulnerability.  It’s a tragic loss that simultaneously denies the world our own unique expression.

Like Shortie, we resolve that people or places “out there” are just too big of a risk, and it’s better to hang out in the self-inflicted crate of our choosing.  Think about this:  Shortie only imagined that we might pose a threat, but little did she know that our greatest desire was for her to let us love her and share with her in creative laughs and adventures.  No strings attached.  Regardless, we never stopped caring for her, making sure she was fed and watered, safe and comfortable.  We already loved her.  And we were excited when she started approaching us.  Today we’re the anchor she trusts during all uncertainty and pain, and while we can’t prevent every mishap, we never cease to provide her protection and comfort.

I once reached such a love-starved state in my own life, that I found it worth the risk to be vulnerable.  I now understand that this is exactly how our heavenly Father perceives us:  Rich and full of adventure to share, completely capable and thoroughly lovable.  Much of our fears with regard to God are simply imagined due to what we have experienced in other relationships.  But if we knew that our vulnerabilities would be met with receptive love, not intrusion, and that the more we approached God, the more love we’d receive, no strings attached, we’d likely not remain so long in our fortresses.  There is no risk in a relationship with God, only a longer-than-lifetime guarantee.  He hopes for us to approach him.  Sometimes we just have to be love-starved enough to give Him a try.

Many if not most dog-owners (and surely parents!) know what I mean when I say Shortie is nothing short of a delight to us, even on her rougher days.  But would you believe that God feels the same way toward you?  Even on your worst day, you are nothing short of a delight to your Heavenly Father.  I’ll say it again:  You are a DELIGHT, just as you are.  If you haven’t given Him a chance to love you, let me encourage you:

Choose to be vulnerable enough that you may receive the greatest of loves, and the courage to discover yourself in a fortress of never-ending freedom.

In Shortie’s case, and most definitely in ours, it was all the while worth it!

GOD IS LOVE  (1 John 4:8)
THOSE WHO KNOW YOUR NAME TRUST IN YOU, FOR YOU, LORD, HAVE NEVER FORSAKEN THOSE WHO SEEK YOU (Psalm 9:10)
WHERE THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS THERE IS FREEDOM (2 Cor 3:17)
[GOD] IS MY FORTRESS; I SHALL NOT BE SHAKEN (Psalm 62:2)

 

(pictured: Shortie in her travel bag at the Kansas City Airport, July 18, 2012)