“Listen to my counsel and be wise. Don’t ignore it.” Proverbs 8:33 NLT
Communication is a two-way street. Just as I can train Famous to fetch or stay, he has been working on training me as well. Truly, he rarely asks anything of me. I suppose that means I may be doing a decent job of providing for him. But there can be times he asserts his will against mine. Then it becomes my responsibility to interpret his intentions.
There are a few examples of this. The most frequent is letting me know he wants to go outside. There are four signals he can give depending on the importance. The first is the excited bark when he spots a squirrel or cat in the yard. This is an urgent request as there is a need to initiate a chase. The second is the whimper at the door. This is less urgent and usually means, “I want to sit outside if it’s OK.“ The third signal is retrieval of his lead and bringing it to me which pretty much means, “I think I’m long overdue a stroll through the yard, and you’d better get a move on if you don’t want me to be miserable.” Finally, there is the sitting at my feet with frozen stare into my eyes, as if he were hypnotizing me. I usually interpret this as “Won’t you please pay attention to me? How about a nice walk together?”
Communication with God is also both ways. But given that He has every desire to care for me and to lead me through this life, it is my responsibility to learn to listen to his voice.
Dear Lord, help me to hear Your truth and to heed Your counsel.
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