A Submission Lesson from a Schnauzer

Submission is an ugly word. As human beings, we don't want to have to do it! We all struggle with it. If you look at the definition of submit and the origin of the word you will see that it means far more than just obeying the rules. Submit comes from two Latin roots, sub (meaning to lower) and mit (to send). We must lower ourselves and being will to be sent to whatever the authority requires of us. NOT a pretty picture in our minds! There are several definitions of submission. Here are a few:
*to give over or yield power
*to yield oneself to the power of another
*to allow oneself to be subjected to some kind of treatment
Lack of submission can come in so many forms. Defiance of authority. Wanting our own way. Refusing to back down from an argument. Disobedience. Fighting/resisting what God has done in our lives that we may not like. Always putting ourselves first.
I am sure you are wondering what schnauzers and submission have to do with each other. Last week, Titan, taught me a lesson on submission. For those of you that don't know, Titan is our new puppy that we got back in July. He has been great so far...he is housebroken and listens most of the time. However, he has a few behavioral issues (don't we all?). The one that bothers me the most is his pulling on the leash when we walk. Now, I wouldn't mind it so much, but he pulls so hard that he sounds like he is cutting off his air and going suffocate. He starts to wheeze and breathing becomes difficult. He sounds horrible! I was worried someone would turn me in for dog abuse...never mind that it was Titan that was abusing himself!!! Not matter what I did he wouldn't submit and walk normally so he could breathe! This is a dominant behavior in dogs...he was in control not me! So we got him a different collar that puts pressure on him and makes it uncomfortable if he pulls. Since then his pulling fetish has greatly decreased! It occurred to me that Titan's behavior was a lesson in submission. We are like Titan...we pull and pull trying to do our own thing. We resist what God wants for us. We resist what God has given us in life. We resist His rules and boundaries. We see them as not fun, confining, or horrible. Every time we resist though we only hurt ourselves. We cut off our air (God) just like Titan did. Does it get us anywhere? It didn't get Titan anywhere. He just kept pulling, choking himself and being miserable! But when we submit and let God lead us, we find that we don't hurt ourselves and we enjoy the journey so much more! When God is asking us to submit it isn't to cause us harm or put a damper on our fun, but rather it is to protect us and give us an abundant life. God knows what is best for my life...He is God after all! Next time, I am going to have to remember not to pull so much and suffocate myself! Giving Him control will be the best thing I can do!