JULY 2006

Well, the puppies have been born as you probably already know, and even though they are not yet active, they are a lot of fun. When Peter and Alex were young, I monitored their growth by noting various accomplishments; sleeping through the night, crawling, walking et cet. With puppies, the first obstacle to overcome is blindness. As you may know, puppies are born with their eyes sealed shut and it takes about two weeks for the eyes to develop to the point where they can see. The corner of there eyes open first and it takes a series of days before they are fully open. Based on my observation, it seems that as their eyes slowly open their vision clears. By the time their eyes are fully open, they are fully mobile and off to the races.

When I was a child I remember watching with frustration, as the puppies’ eyes would slowly open. I very much wanted the puppies to be able to see and the temptation was to “help” by prying their eyes fully open. Thankfully I was told that if I were to “assist” the puppies in that way, I would end up insuring that they would need seeing eye humans the rest of their lives.

While the puppies developed into seeing dogs my job is to keep them safe and make them feel loved. That I am happy to do, but I still get impatient at times waiting for them to be able to see. At least a couple of times a day, I look at them hoping to see for progress. As of today, no luck.

Lasting progress is often slow in coming. It is true in puppies, it is also true in our own lives as we grow and mature in our relationship with Christ. Sometimes it is hard for me to remember that. I have learned a truth that is important for the church to know. I preach that truth, or teach it in class or conversation and wait for the church to “see” it. When they don’t, I get frustrated and want to pry open the eyes of my listeners and force them to see the light. What I need to do is remember that it takes time to see and that if I force people to see the truth on my timetable, I will most likely blind them to the very thing I want them to see.

Perhaps this has happened to you, with your children, with your friends or with those who work for you. When I begin to feel frustrated, I remember this: Although I may be the one speaking, it is God that teaches his truth. He will do it in his way and in his time. My job is to speak the words, keep them safe and love them. In time their eyes will open, slowly at first, but in God’s time they will be fully open and then it is off to the races!