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April 9th.
2008
HOLDING BACK
Dakota, our wonderful black lab mix,
lives a good life. She has a sizeable doghouse filled with cedar chips,
two plus acres to run and roam free, and at night or during the day when
someone is home spends her time inside, most of which is on a big bed
that is usually bathed with sunlight.
Dakota spends most her days playing hide-and-seek with gophers, racing
cars, talking to the other dogs across the fence. She also likes to talk
to one of the other occupants of her residence chasing the ball until
the thrower of said ball “gives.”
Dakota joined us on our recent Spring break trip to Orcas Island. This
was her maiden voyage. She has ridden in the car numerous times to
Grandma and Grandpa's. They, too, have significant fenced fields for her
to run in. Such was not the case on the island.
Dakota, while as loyal as the day is long, tends to become distracted
easily wanting to make friends with all kinds of God's other creatures.
As such, Dakota needs to spend a fair bit of her free time on a leash.
While not greatly resistant to being tethered, when you spend most of
your days going to and fro as one desires, it's hard when suddenly you
feel held back.
Dakota, like the rest of us, does not like to be held back. She wants to
go as she feels called and to do the things she is good at and enjoys
doing. Consequently, as the days on the leash progressed along it was
clear Dakota's free spirit began to dampen.
Dakota's experience of being held back seems consistent with the rest of
us. Sometimes it feels like others around us are holding us back,
pulling in directions we really do not want to go or not allowing us to
go the way we feel called to go. At other times, our own many faces of
fear keep us from going down the path we truly feel called to follow.
Dakota's diminished spirit happens to all of us as well when we feel
that we have been held back for any length of time. God created us to
grow and flourish. God gave each one of us gifts to be used and shared.
God did not want us to just have life, but life abundantly.
Dakota is once again home and free to roam, as she feels called. My hope
is that we, too, through the new life which is ours in Christ this
Easter season are free to live the abundant life we are called to live.
Blessings,
The Rev. Brian N. Prior, Rector
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