Relationships are what life is about. We can learn so much about relationships from our pets. Take my fun-loving, kind dog, Nellie Belle for example. When it comes to eating, our interactions are far more important to her than the food most of the time. It is almost a dance. She has allergies and a tender tummy that I have learned to regulate pretty well. This has added to making food a “thing” with us.
Neither of us are naturally hungry first thing in the morning. Usually, we begin our day sitting together while I read and we allow our appetites to grow. I have read that a dog sitting with her hip to her owner is a sign of bondedness. We are clearly bonded.
After a while, when she is genuinely hungry and her tummy is not out of sorts, she will take up her position in her bed in the kitchen. In anticipation she watches my every move as I prepare her meal.
Then there are those times I need to accelerate the feeding process to get us out the door. We both have our activities after all. In these situations, she usually stays in the living room while I prepare her meal. She sends me no-verbal signals that we have not satisfied the “togetherness quotient” for the morning, but tolerates my preparations. I call her when the food is ready and that rarely sparks a rapid response.
The dance begins.
I call again, and if she comes, I feed her a little with my hand to pique her interest. On her more recalcitrant days, the next step is for me to take a little taste of the food to her. Usually this sparks sufficient interest to get her to the bowl.
Then there is the act of actually eating. I usually need to “prime her pump” with little tastes, best received from my fingers, before she will dive in on her own. Once her head is down in the bowl she will come up for air from time to time. She is always making sure I am nearby. If I stray too far for her liking, she stops to find me.
Then there is her preference to have the food heaped in the center of the bowl. Of course, she spreads it around as she is eating. So, when she stops, she often looks to me to “fix it.” Waiting for that to happen, she usually takes a lap around the room, or a small circle on the deck during these breaks. As you may guess by now, she likes to play hard to get.
When she has “joined the clean plate club,” as my mom called it, she gets “dessert.” A small piece of dried liver. Ooh yummy!?! At least for Nellie Belle.
These are just some of the things that make our relationship unique. Things we know about our pets, and people, and our God; the time, and loyalty we share, are what relationships and life are about. It is in relationships that we build our character and fill our lives with meaning.
Can you see lines between our relationship with our Creator and us that resemble me and Nellie Belle?
Do I spoil her? Undoubtedly. Does Abba treat us better than we deserve? Unquestionably.
Do I enjoy the equivalent of “hip to hip” time in the Word with Jesus? Indeed, I do and I know it deepens our relationship.
Do I play “hard to get” with God sometimes? Unfortunately, yes. The good news is I never have to go far to find Him, because He is always near. All I have to do is “look.”
All relationships are dynamic. They evolve, grow and sometimes fall apart. Time together and sharing things like Nellie Belle’s and my dance around the food bowl is a simple window on relationships. What does “hip to hip” with God look like for you?
