I just returned from attempting to take my new puppy for a walk. We named him Hooch. A dog named Hooch was the costar in a movie with Tom Hanks, Turner & Hooch. In the movie Hooch was a mischievous dog that you couldn’t help but love. Brenda always loved that movie and when she saw our puppy for the first time that was the name that seemed to fit. Believe me, the name is a perfect fit for the personality! He is lovable, stubborn, playful, and aggravating all at the same time!
I’ve been training Hooch but he has been teaching me! Animals are very much in touch with energy. Even when they learn a degree of word recognition it is basically a matter of conditioning. In other words, even though he comes when I call his name he still really doesn’t know that to be his name. He just knows that to be a word for which he has a conditioned response. Regardless, however, of the words you speak to an animal, they pick up on the emotions you convey more than the words themselves.
When some people tell a dog, “No,” they do it in a quiet but serious voice and the dog immediately understands, “I need to stop what I’m doing.” Others raise their voice and attempt to be authoritative and the dog never notices them. He realizes that the other person is frustrated or angry but doesn’t have confidence in their command. It reminds me of the early days of trying to understand faith and authority; we somehow thought if we shouted commands louder the inanimate object we were commanding would take us seriously and respond!
I remember watching people do this, and like any young believer I followed the example of my teachers; but inwardly it never felt right. It always looked like the person giving the command was trying to use force as a substitute for authority. It wasn’t long until I humbled myself, admitted to myself and God that I had no clue what to do and prayed, “God, show me how this really works!” Soon after that I ran across this verse in Isaiah 30:15, Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength.
From my days working in bars I always knew that the guy you had to really watch out for when tempers were flaring was not the loud mouth that used his threats in an attempt to scare the other person. No! The guy you needed to watch was the one who was quiet, relaxed, and focused! Hooch has helped remind me that it’s not the tone of my voice that makes my words carry weight; it is whether or not those words are harmonious with the Word of God and the beliefs of my heart!
Since dogs are pretty much in this moment their response to everything is about what is happening now. This means that I can’t sit down with Hooch and teach him things so we avoid the same conflict again tomorrow. When he misbehaves he doesn’t know it is misbehaving. He doesn’t know that the rug he has just torn to shreds cost $35. He doesn’t know that I really liked the shoes he just ate. He just knows they are there, they are available, and he wants to chew. If, in my response to him, I convey negative emotions he views me as weak and out of control. This means he must be in charge, the leader of the pack, which means he makes the rules. I may not have control over all of his behaviors but the one thing I always have control over is my choices. I can respond to this in a way that makes for a training moment or I can give away my ability to influence because I want the relief I think will come by expressing all of my negative feelings. Me losing my cool over a dog that would interpret my action completely differently from my intentions is no different than me losing my cool with a person just because I expect more of them than they are showing!
Hooch has also reminded me that while behavior modification can be helpful, it doesn’t affect the heart. It doesn’t connect me with who I am in Jesus. It doesn’t access God’s grace. Behavior modification is based on reward and punishment, which is conditioning. The psychiatrists who developed these approaches for helping humans were, for the most part, godless Atheists who saw man as little more than a highly evolved animal; therefore, if it works for dogs or primates it should work for man. (On a side note – one of the planks upon which the overthrow of our country is based is that all emotional problems should be handled by a mental health professional.) If we make problems seem so big and complex people will not solve them for themselves. Sadly, once we believe a problem is hard to solve we will not trust God to solve it.
The ultimate grief in all this is that behavior modification is the method of choice employed by the Church. Reward: if you’re good God will love you, good things will happen to you, and you might go to Heaven when you die. Punishment: if you’re bad God will be angry with you. He will make bad things happen to you, and He will send you to Hell! That may influence outward behavior but it will never heal the heart!
When we got Hooch I really wanted a dog that was a little older because I really didn’t have the time for a lot of dog training. But Brenda wanted a puppy so it would bond with us and feel protective of her. One of the goals in getting a dog was protection for her when I am gone. So, I agreed to get a puppy. Then two days before Christmas Margie, one of our staff members, showed up with Hooch. Brenda and I had an instant case of puppy love. But then I had to get up with him in the night! He is ready to get up every morning by 5am. He has to get exercise three times a day. And he requires constant management until he gets just a little older.
What I didn’t mention is the fact that I had been adamant that I didn’t want to get a dog. First, I didn’t want to get attached to another animal. Second, I had no idea how I would manage this with my travel and very demanding schedule. Brenda, on the other hand, really wanted a dog. I knew in my heart when it was time to take action. I knew I wanted it to be a rescue. One day I told Brenda I was ready to get her a dog, but I felt that still, small voice say, “Just wait!” In about a week, Margie showed up with a rescue, Christmas puppy.
About that time I knew I was going to dive full force into writing my new, long-overdue book on the heart. Well, when I write, I usually start at 4:30 – 5:30 am and I write until I can’t think; and I do that every day until the book is finished. Having Hooch wake me up early every morning has helped me move forward in my writing. Since I have to take him outside about every 2 hours it forces me to get up and move around, which I don’t usually do. The result is I stay refreshed and my back doesn’t get messed up from sitting for such long periods of time. Then there have been all the daily lessons I have learned as I read and practice dog training methods.
Everything that happens in our life is a lesson if we are paying attention to our heart and if we are teachable. So, by following my heart, what I knew would be an incredible challenge has not only come at the perfect time, but it has taught me the perfect lessons. Every day I am reminded of so many of the heart lessons I have learned over the years. I had constant motivation to get up and write every morning. And I had to learn lessons about my emotional reactions to the frustration of raising a puppy.
So what value is this to you? First and foremost, I want to remind you that the Holy Spirit is the consummate Teacher. Since God does not violate our will He can only lead us into the abundant life; He cannot just make it happen to us. To do so would violate our will! He is so eager for us to have the very best that He is willing to use every situation in life to teach us. Everything in your life today can be a learning experience that teaches you to make Spirit-led choices. So be sure to do what it takes for you to stay constantly aware of the voice of God in your heart. Make it a way of life!
Second, I want you to know that I will be releasing the new heart book on April 8th. With the help of my little puppy, I have stayed the course. I am just a few hours away from being completely finished. I believe this book will be as crucial to the body of Christ as Grace: The Power to Change or The Gospel of Peace. After all, unless we know how to live from our heart those are merely doctrines that do nothing for our relationship with God or the quality of our life. And, like all information, any truth you know but do not put into practice feeds your unbelief! The truth you don’t get to work eventually becomes viewed by the mind as useless information.
This book will not be what most people expect. I want this to be the biblical grounding point for all people who do any type of heart work. I want people to see the bigger picture of the Kingdom of God, yielding to Jesus as Lord. So, watch for our special release. We will do this in a way to push this high on the Amazon list. This is how we will get the entire world interested!
Blessings,
Jim
