The Little Whippet

Years ago, I took my parent’s dog, a Miniature Dachshund named Peanut, to the dog park. In the small-sized play area, there was a Mini Whippet among other dogs. I’ve never seen a more frightened pup. You could tell he wanted to play, and he did run the length of the yard a few times. And, boy, was he fast. But for the most part, the little Whippet was in a perpetual state of getting spooked by the other dogs and taking cover under a bench or between his owner’s legs. As I was watching the puppies and all the personalities, I realized that the fastest dog at the park that day, small or big, was the Whippet. This afraid-of-its-own-shadow dog could outrun everything he felt threatened by. Yet he spent his time wanting and hiding.

It occurred to me then, and I was reminded of it recently, that as sons and daughters of God, we can get into a pattern of frightened behavior too and forget who we are in Christ. We forget that we are new creations and no longer bound to sin (2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 6:18). We forget the spiritual blessings lavished on us, making us rich in kingdom currency (Ephesians 1:3). We forget that we have divine weapons to destroy falsehoods (2 Corinthians 10:3-6). We forget that we carry glory into dark places and can heal the sick (Matthew 5:14-16, Luke 9:1-2). We forget that with God, all things are possible, and with him, we can do valiantly (Matthew 19:26, Psalm 60:12). When we are in a state of forgetfulness or lack of understanding, we can get stuck in hiding.

I don’t want the Father to come, stoop down and find me under the bench. I don’t want to be found hiding from something that scares me or that I don’t fully understand (Psalm 118:6). I want to be found in Christ and the strength and victory of his shadow–his heart. And from that place, I want to declare God’s goodness in the way I was created to do.

So to all my fellow thorough breeds—brothers and sisters in Christ, that is—run the race set before you (Hebrews 12:1-3), and when intimidation comes barking, show ’em what you got.

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