Lead the Way

Lead the Way

The kids are hanging in the yard, it’s a lovely summer evening and I’m sitting on the deck with my neighbor catching up over a glass of wine.   All of sudden, we heard a distinct scratching noise under the deck that was clearly an animal of some sort.  We stopped for a moment and the noise stopped, a few moments later it continued, directly under our feet.  Immediately we jumped up, thinking perhaps a possum, a raccoon or worse yet, a skunk?  Suddenly it dawned on me and I asked my kids: “Where is Daisy?”  Our golden retriever who loves to explore was missing.  We all realized at the same moment, that she must have run after something and gotten stuck.  We began to yell her name and she began to bang and bump getting wedged underneath the low lying deck, she was stuck and clearly going further under, in the darkness going in the wrong direction.  My daughter and her girlfriend came running over and we were all calling and coaxing.

We ran for a flashlight and Katie knelt down and began to coax and call Daisy, directing her with the light and slowly Daisy began to inch her way towards Katie’s voice and the light.  Ten minutes later, out she came jumping into Katie’s arms, weary and exhausted, but clearly overjoyed to be safe and cared for and so happy to have gotten out of the silly jam she had gotten herself into.

In my relief of not having to call the local Fire Department; what a great headline that would be:  “Drinking Mom Loses Dog, Trapped Underfoot”, I couldn’t help but think how much I’m like that silly little dog.  Crashing and thrashing about, whimpering and turning in circles in a jail of my own making and then at the last moment stuck in circumstances I can’t fix on my own, I cry out to God for help.  Instead of asking Him for direction first, I rush into a situation, thinking I know all the answers and making a mess out of something that should be simple.  But God always reaches out to me, He gets down on my level in the dark calling and coaxing and showing me His direction.  He sends me people and clues and signs and often it takes a while, but eventually when I’m tired of trying on my own with no apparent progress, I look up.  And there He is.  Shining the light in the darkness, beckoning, inviting, leading the way.  And then I focus and keep my eyes on the light until I get out from under.  I guess the secret is to keep my eyes on the light every day, every moment, so I don’t get jammed up so often.  It’s all about the focus.  And it’s Him.

Copyright 2012 Maureen O'Shea