A Walk In the Neighborhood: Lessons From Nick

In the past two weeks I have noticed a considerable increase in my personal stress. I am not sure if this stress comes from the sudden realization that I have roughly four months to finish all of the planning for the wedding (funny how one day can stress you out for months in advance), or if it is the pressure of training for yet another half-marathon that is coming up in a month and a half, or if it is the exhaustion that comes from a poor diet and poor time-management, or if it is because I have done so very little work on my exams, or...

Nick on a mission.

You get the idea: I'm stressed. And my body does not handle stress well. I've noticed a physical difference - my system has been irritated pretty much all the time, and so my eating schedule is usually off. I've also noticed an emotional and mental difference, in that the number of weird/horrifying dreams I have in a given week has gone from a couple of nights to every night. I also cry a lot more easily than I used to. 

My temporary solution? Take an adorable dog on a walk at least once a week.

No, I'm serious - if you ever find yourself frazzled by life, make friends (unless you already have one) with someone who has a cute dog and ask if you can take said dog on walks. Let me tell you, it is one of the best ways to unwind and focus on something not stress-related. You can think and pray more clearly, and, if you need to, discuss your problems with the dog. He won't answer back, and the entire neighborhood may think you're nuts, but at least you're talking through your issues. 

I stumbled upon this temporary stress-relief last week, when my friend went out of town for the day and asked me to walk his dog, "Nick", for him while he was away. I find Nick absolutely adorable, and so I agreed. I'd had a pretty packed day, with studying, wedding-planning, etc. It was late in the afternoon before I took him out. It was a gorgeous day, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. 

"Something smells
 suspicious..."

As we walked, I noticed something about Nick that reminded me of my own walk with the Lord in life. He would frequently stop to smell something on the side of the road, often without giving me notice (I had to be careful not to trip over him!). I'd have to pull on his leash to get him to keep moving forward. Nick also would often strain at the leash to go back instead of going forward, because he wanted to sniff out whatever it was that he had left behind; there was no thought or desire to discover what lay ahead.

And I thought to myself: How many times do I strain and tug and fight against the path God is leading me down? How often do I want to run back to what is familiar, and comfortable, and "safe", because I don't want to think about what lies ahead? 

Yet how many times God responds in compassion and mercy, gently leading, sometimes driving, me forward through the path of sanctification. When I get hung up on a curbside, distracted by whatever immediate chaos has cropped up in my life, He comes alongside and leads me through it.

At one point Nick and I came to an intersection. Across the street a pack of dogs were barking and snarling, faces smashed against the chain-link fence. Nick shied away, unnerved by their hostility. The intersection was a busy one, and quite a few cars drove by, further disorienting the poor pup. He strained first one way and then the other, head wagging from side to side, unsure of what he should do. I knelt down and put my arm around his head, talking to him quietly. He calmed enough to wait until the cars had all gone by and it was clear for us to cross the street. We made a wide berth around the still-snarling dogs and continued on our way. 

And I thought: What a perfect illustration of my life now! I am so easily frightened and discombobulated by the urgent demands of my life. I get so easily distracted and disoriented, and I strain first in one direction and then in the other. Yet how often, in those moments of confusion and fear, does God come alongside and put His arms around me and calm my fears! When I flail and gasp and strain to run from the demands and the stress and the pain of this life, He kneels down beside me and speaks comfort into my life, through His Word, through His people, and sometimes through the chaos itself. 

His "I smell people!" face

I'm busy and often overwhelmed by all that needs to be done in a week. But I am learning not to be anxious or stressed by the busy-ness. Not because I'm so good at handling all of the demands; I am really terrible at it most of the time. But I serve an all-powerful, all-knowing God who understands my weakness and my need; who, in his infinite love and wisdom, comes alongside me, guides me, and gives me grace to make it through the day.