The next day, Jaxx still didn't seem interested in budging. By now I could tell he drank much of the water I'd given him. I'd managed to slip in a bowl of food and he'd eaten that. Though a big dog, that bladder would only hold so long. I looked at him and tried to coax him out. Nope.
After all the other dogs were outside in their kennel runs, I opened the back door and walked to the other end of the kennel so he'd have a clear path. He took a couple steps and looked at me.
See that look? That's not a look of menace. That's a look of fear. And that means I'm going to be very careful. I decided to go to the front door, which definitely got his interest. I walked out the door. After a few minutes, I walked back in, and he was gone - out the back door - happily relieving himself.
Who am I kidding? I was relieved too. Have you ever cleaned up after a one hundred pound dog?
Jaxx came back in, went right back into his kennel run, and laid back down. The next few days were without incident (mostly).
Have you ever felt like Jaxx? Happy in your comfort zone, not interested in leaving your safe space for the great unknown.
Many people fear change. While not a big fan of it myself, I also fear staying the same. It's important to find and pursue challenges.
One thing I noticed about Jaxx is after he left his run and came back, it was easier every time. He was more confident. His fear was gone.
Sometimes I think God is gracious in letting us move out of our comfort zones when we are ready. I think He often gives us the space to go at our own pace. But not all the time. Sometimes there's an urgency in His timing, and we are thrust into a situation we feel ill prepared for and balk at the intrusion into our lives.
Either way, God understands why we need to trust Him and His timing. We can doubt, we can glare, we can drag our heels. But we can trust while begrudgingly dragging ourselves into new circumstances.
So get out of your cage.
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