Chasing Dogs and the Love of Christ
I stumbled on the wet grass. My knees and hands were caked in mud. The cold air stung as I tried to catch my breath, but I kept going. I struggled back to my feet only to have our new puppy Maya dart past me again at full speed. She was fast and showing no sign of wearing out. The chase was on, and she loved every second! Michelle drove around the neighborhood, trying to coax her into the van. The kids were in the back seat, sobbing and screaming. Maya just kept on running
.
The world outside our yard was an adventure for her. It was a place she could run wild without boundaries or restrictions. But it was also where she could be hurt or killed. She was running away from our family's protection, provision, and love and into threat and harm.
MAYBE FREEDOM AND RUNNING WILD AREN’T THE SAME
Following Jesus isn’t about restrictions and rules. Jesus embodied freedom. To live in Christ is to be truly FREE! But the freedom we are called to isn’t about satisfying our selfish urges or running wild. The thing about running wild is that someone almost always gets hurt. While Maya was running wild, I was frustrated and tired of the chase but also scared. We live near a busy street, and several times she nearly found her way into the path of oncoming cars. I was afraid of what would happen if she found her way into a space where I couldn’t go… or if I lost track of where she was entirely and she couldn’t find her way home. I didn’t want her to get hurt or lost, but I also didn’t want my family to endure the hurt of losing her.
In Galatians 5:13, Paul writes
13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another.
If what Paul says bears merit, freedom isn’t about running wild. Freedom isn’t about selfish gain. Freedom in Christ provides the means to love and serve one another. It’s not permission to trespass on one another or violate space we don’t belong. That isn’t what love looks like. Love is persistent, but it isn’t forceful. Love cares for us and helps us feel safe. It isn’t selfish or threatening. Love heals, not harms.
Eventually, Maya learned that our home and the fence of our yard were not a place of confinement for her. It is a place of freedom. In our home, she knows and has confidence that she is loved (even with her faults and flaws). So, she stays close. She stays home. We still have boundaries for her, but she no longer runs wild because she knows she is loved and free. The boundaries we set for her don’t hinder that… they solidify it.
So, what does freedom look like for us?
14For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
LOVE IS THE BOUNDARY
LOVE IS THE LAW THAT GOVERNS US
LOVE IS WHAT KEEPS US SAFE
LOVE IS WHAT MAKES US KNOWN
LOVE IS THE WAY OF CHRIST, WHO HEALS ALL WOUNDS
LOVE IS THE LANGUAGE OF THE FAMILY OF GOD
Most of the problems in this world exist and are exasperated because people (God’s people) spend so much time, effort, energy, and resources drawing lines in the sand and disparaging the diversity that makes our world beautiful and worth living in.
What if I loved others with the same veracity?
LOVE.
It’s what God looks like; I am made in God’s image. Love is who I am.