The Dog Whisperer
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and there sure is not much on TV, is there?
So honestly, I hardly ever turn it on. But! But when I’ve got a free Friday evening, I must say I do enjoy watching “The Dog Whisperer.” I’m sure you’ve heard about him – his name is Cesar Milan and he rehabilitates all kinds of neurotic dogs with bad habits – you know, dogs who bite their owners, dogs who bite their neighbors, dogs that bark at anybody or anything on wheels. Well, last week (this was so funny) the dog whisperer helped a Great Dane get over his crazy fear of shiny linoleum floors. I could not believe it. This big Great Dane was afraid of walking on linoleum floors. Anyway, once Cesar got the Great Dane finally walking on linoleum, which to me was just so fascinating how he did it, Cesar was then teaching the owner how to help the dog continue to walk on linoleum, and not fall back into his bad habit. And the dog whisperer said a very insightful thing. He said something to the effect, “You have to help your dog quit thinking about the past or being worried about the future. Help your dog live in the moment (he says that a lot about dogs with bad habits or bad behavior) live in the moment, do not become occupied with the past or the future. Get your dog to live in the now!”
I thought, man, that’s good advice for humans, especially Christians! No wonder we become overwhelmed by life; a lot of worse things than whether or not a floor is shiny too! Too many of us are pre-occupied with the past or we are angsting over the future. When Jesus speaks of Satan, the enemy of our souls, He names him as one who has come to steal, kill and destroy. If Satan can get us to focus on our past mistakes, our stupid detours, and wasted opportunities, Satan has stolen the present moment from us. And likewise, if he can nudge us into worrying about tomorrow’s bills, or being anxious over next week’s deadlines or health concerns, he’s done it again.
If our enemy can keep us occupied with days gone by or days yet to be lived, we then lose the grace, and the blessings and the opportunities in the now. And when you lose the present moment, in a way, you lose everything – because you see, life on earth is simply a long string of consecutive moments. Think of these moments of life as pearls on a string, each loaded with potential and opportunity. And the devil wants to rob you of as many of those precious pearls, as many of those moments as he possibly can, causing you to live your life in the rearview mirror, or concerning yourself with future scenarios which most likely will never occur.
Yep, the dog whisperer Cesar Milan, and Oswald Chambers share a present-tense perspective. Oswald Chambers once wrote that grace is for ‘right now, right now.’ It is not the process toward some future goal, but an end in and of itself. If we would only realize this, then each moment would become rich with meaning and purpose.” Oh, friend, grace is for this instant, right now! So don’t listen to the whisperer of lies, that old adversary the devil. The Bible says forgetting what lies behind, press on. It also says do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow has enough days troubles of its own, it will worry about itself. Friend, you got this moment, this one right now, and God has given you to live for His glory. Do not allow Satan to steal another precious pearl of a day; receive the grace and the blessings and look for the opportunities this minute and you’ll never be the same.
Infinite Hope
Throughout the pages of this gift book rich with inspirational true stories and breathtaking artwork, you will find hope . . . the kind of hope that never fades and always brightens the darkest paths of life. This is no ordinary hope, but instead a life-transforming hope.
