Tag Archives: Molly

MOLLY AND ME – SUSPICION

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Strange, isn’t it, that my little dog who loves me and who, seemingly. can’t get enough of me, should be suspicious of me, and yet she is.

I see it in her eyes when, at times she wants to sit on my lap but, when I bend down to pick her up, she moves away and won’t come near enough for me to reach her.

“Molly, what have I done to make you suspicious of me?” my heart cries out. Of  course, she’s a dog, not a human, and does not understand when I stop her from doing something that would harm her. I put on her harness when we go walking because I dare not let her run free in the street; I pull her away from old chicken bones or decaying food that she sniffs out and would love to chew because I know they will harm her.

Molly does not understand that I always have her health and well-being in mind when I put boundaries around her. If I were to let her have her own way all the time, she would surely destroy herself before sundown! Restrictions and discipline are not the evidence of enmity but of my fierce and protective love for her.

Are we no so like Molly in many ways?

God chose Jeremiah before he was born to be His prophet to the nations. However, this great privilege came with a price. God warned him that his message would stir up hatred against him. His own people would not understand God’s intentions towards them. They would hound him and persecute him despite his love for his people. Instead of gratitude for God’s warnings and response to His love, they would try to silence the voice that brought the message.

Jeremiah is known as “the weeping prophet” because his people, led by the rebellious and wicked kings of Judah, refused to hear him and did all they could to destroy him. Eventually, Jeremiah turned on God, bewailing the fate that God warned him would happen, In response to his bitter complaint, God said, “Jeremiah, why are you suspicious of me? Take back your words and I will be with you and protect you, just as I promised.”

Likewise, Jesus warned His disciples (and us) that trouble and hardships in this life are inevitable but we complain when trouble comes and turn on God for abandoning us. forgetting that Solomon said, in the book of Proverbs, that God uses these circumstances to discipline us because of His love. He cannot allow us to run amok – we will surely destroy ourselves just as Molly would without restraint.

How kind and gracious of the Father to allow trials and hardships to come our way. Without them, we would forget Him and our need for Him. Jesus must keep us on a leash to remind us that, without Him we can do nothing.

Throw off your suspicion when you don’t understand why you are suffering, Trust in the everlasting love of God because He would never do or allow anything that will harm you. When you cannot see His hand, trust His heart. Run to Him, not from Him because He assures you and me.

“I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can people do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5b-6).    

MOLLY AND ME – FEAR

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Molly has developed an irrational fear.

For some reason that I cannot understand, she is terrified of my fly swatter. Whenever I swat a fly (and they come in droves, uninvited, when I start to cook dinner) or kill a mosquito, she runs into my neighbour’s house (I live in a granny flat on the property of my son’s parents-in-law) and jumps onto her lap for protection.

Now, Molly has never been abused because I bought her from a breeder at the age of 6 weeks. I have never disciplined her physically, so she has no reason to be afraid of me. In every other way, she trusts me and is affectionate towards me to the point of being clingy at times when I have been out for a while.

Once again, she reminds me of many believers, including me in the past, who mistakenly believer, through ignorance, that difficulties and hard times in our lives mean that God is punishing us for something we have done. We are afraid of God; we don’t trust Him because we think that He is waiting to give us a hard time because of sin.

Satan has a field day in our minds. We hear his accusing voice when we have sinned and we believe the guilt we feel because we are ignorant of the truth. What is the truth?

So now, there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And, because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death (Rom 8:1-2 – NLT).

When Jesus died on the cross, He paid the penalty for all the sin of all people for all time. God is not angry with us when we sin, but sin does disrupt our fellowship with Him. We must acknowledge that He is right and we are wrong when we have sinned and receive the forgiveness and cleansing of the blood of Jesus that He freely gives us (1 John 1:9).

Why does God allow us to have hardships in our lives if it is not punishment for sin? The writer to the Hebrews gives us the answer.

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? …Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines is for our good, that we might share in His holiness (Heb. 12:7, 10 – NIV).

God passionately longs that we trust Him so implicitly that we never doubt His love, even when we go through hard times. It is in the difficulties we face that we learn that, in all things, He is working for our good that we might become like Jesus, the perfect Son who always trusted His Father’s love, even when He was crucified.

How can I communicate to Molly that I love her and that I would never do anything to hurt her. She does not understand my language and I cannot speak “dog”! I can only demonstrate my love by showing her in my actions that whatever I do is for her good – even to killing the flies that contaminate her food.

But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners (Rom. 5:8 – NLT).

God wants us to trust that love when trouble and hardships come so that we live our lives every day without fear.

And, as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So, we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face Him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced His perfect love (1 John 4:17-18). 

 

MOLLY AND ME – WARFARE

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Molly is a warrior.

At least she thinks she is! She challenges every dog in the street, no matter how big or small they may be, as we walk by (as long as they are safely behind a secure gate or high wall, of course). All 5 kg of her is pure aggression, despite her being well-socialised as a puppy.

She is also desperate to take on every pair of heels that runs or walks by and, with dedicated hatred, every domestic worker who wields a mop or broom. I have to keep a vigilant eye for potential trouble and a tight hold on her leash so that we arrive home after our walk intact. When it’s cleaning day, Molly is confined to barracks, much to her extreme frustration, lest the cleaning lady go home with a few puncture wounds in her ankles!

She loves to “rumble” with her best friends with fierce growls which makes the play-fighting sound like a serious battle. Watch out if the play gets too rough for her! She loses her temper and devoted owners have to break up a vicious dog-fight.

Molly reminds me of many believers who have been taught or feel the need to flush out and attack demons behind every bush. They love the idea of “spiritual warfare” and engage in it as often as possible. I am acquainted with a Christian lady who is so enthusiastic about her “warfare” that she verbally attacks any unsuspecting person, believer or unbeliever, who happens to say something that does not agree with her theology.

To people like these, addictions and habits, and even character traits are demonic and the poor “victim” needs to be delivered, and particularly through the person who has a “deliverance ministry”. Many of these people flock to gatherings where some well-known exorcist works on them to “cast out” the demon or demons oppressing them.

I have no doubt that there is huge demonic activity in the world today. Satan knows that his time is short and he still wields his most potent weapons, fear and deception, to ensnare as many as he can, including believers who have not grasped the significance of the cross.

When Jesus cried out His final words of victory, “It is finished!”, He meant it with every fibre of His being, He whipped the devil, once and for all, exposing his as the lying imposter he is for claiming the lordship which belongs to Jesus alone.

The war we, as Jesus’ followers, are engaged in is not with the devil. Jesus overcame him once and for all time at the cross. The Apostle Paul counselled us to stand – not fight – with the weapon of truth, the Word of God. The war is in our own hearts, the battle against everything that would challenge our knowledge and experience of faith in Jesus. Paul admonished his son in the faith, Timothy, to “fight the good fight of faith”.

Our flesh is at war with our spirits and our spirits with the flesh. Whatever takes away from our faith in Jesus for the grace to meet every situation and need through His strength, must be ruthlessly challenged by the truth of God’s Word. Satan still tries to sow his lies into our minds so that we worry and fear instead of steadfastly believing the Word and trusting the Holy Spirit for the power to overcome.

No, my brothers and sisters, we do not need deliverance. Jesus delivered us from the dominion of darkness through His death – once for all. We need transformation by the renewing of our minds. (Romans 12: 1-3). Don’t waste your time engaging demons. They, and their master, are finished.

Instead, fill your minds with the truth of who Jesus is, the Son of the living God, and who you are, a beloved, forgiven and blood-washed son or daughter of God, filled with His Spirit and given the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

MOLLY AND ME – CONTENTMENT

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“Me” time! Do you have “me” time?  From 5 to 7 in the morning is strictly my time – and Molly knows it.

After she has had her little run outside to do the necessary – and sometimes that includes exploring the same garden she has explored dozens of times before – she comes inside and waits patiently for me to pick her up and position her on my recliner.

With a deep sigh of contentment, she lies beside me, puts her head on my leg and continues her sleep as though nothing had intervened, not even an exciting interlude in the garden!

During the day, after my chores are done, I sit in my chair and work with my hands, crocheting, knitting, writing or reading while Molly enjoys a nap in her bed at my feet. As long as she is near me or can see me, she is contented. I watch her and take a leaf from her book.

What is contentment?

The tenth commandment says, “You shall not covet.” I think that covetousness is the antithesis of contentment. Discontent is another word for covetousness. Discontent is a slap in God’s face. In our hearts we are saying, “God, you shortchanged me. Why did you give me such a raw deal?” I look at someone else’s station in life and wish it were mine. He has money, prestige, a better job, a better house/car etc., and in my heart I grumble and complain.

Instead of enjoying what I have and making the best of my life, I waste precious time dwelling on what I don’t have and insulting my Father’s love for me because I think I know better than He does what is good for me.

Like Molly, I want to live in the moment, passionately loving the one who loves and cares for me, and sit one His lap or at His feet, contented to know that He always does what is best for me. I want to be like Paul who said:

I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ who gives me the strength. (Phil.4:12-13)

Surely, nothing can shake the one whose trust is in the love of the Father. We can save ourselves a great deal of stress and all the physical side effects if we settle down in His lap and let Him order our lives for us.

True godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into this world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. (1 Tim. 6:6-7)

 

 

 

 

 

 

MOLLY AND ME – COMPASSION

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It amazes me how life lessons can be found in simple things. Take Molly and me, for example. As I mentioned in my last post, Molly is my thirteen-month-old, strawberry dapple miniature dachshund – a fancy title for a cute, mischievous, energetic, adoring and adorable little sausage dog.

She has taught me much about worship, not the faulty, fickle and often selfish what-do-I- get-out-of-this kind of human worship but the dog-kind – the unselfconscious, unselfish and pure kind of worship that she shows me when she lies on my lap and gazes into my eyes with adoring devotion reflected in her dark brown eyes.

In Molly’s eyes, I am perfect. I can do nothing wrong. I praise her when she understands and does what I ask her to do. I give her treats for no reason at all. I faithfully feed her and give her clean water to drink. She sleeps in a clean, warm bed (with me, of course), every night. I protect her from harm as best I can and she responds to my care with loyalty, adoration and companionship.

How do I respond to this kind of devotion? I see her as small, vulnerable, sometimes uncomprehending, sometimes stubborn but always coming back to me to love and be loved. Since I recognise that she is a dog, not a human, I have to adjust my attitude towards her accordingly. My heart goes out to her in compassion; she is small and fragile. I don’t judge her for her failures. I accommodate to her dog-ness.  Why? It’s because I love her for who she is.

Then I find myself multiplying my compassion for Molly by the God-ness of God’s compassion for me and I glimpse the heart of my Father towards His human children. He knows how frail and vulnerable we are.  He knows how weak we are; He understands that we are dust (Psalm 103:14 – NLT).

How can I judge Molly when she is only a dog?

My Father has placed all my judgment on Jesus, His Son because I am only a human. I could never have satisfied His perfect standards, so Jesus took my place and bore the punishment I deserved for my failure. Now I can sit on the Father’s lap and gaze into His face with pure adoration because of His love for me.

The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins; He does not deal harshly with us as we deserve. For His unfailing love towards those who fear Him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth (Psalm 103:8-11 – NLT).