Have you ever watched a dog dream?

I have two dogs that I love. One is a border collie/ lab mutt named Mason and the other is a border collie/ German Shepard mutt we named Dakota. As you can tell from the breeds these are energetic and active dogs. The breeds that they represent, for the most part, are engineered to herd other animals. In fact most days in my home you can find my son running around the house laughing because Dakota is licking and nipping at his legs to get him to move in some direction. (Usually it is away from wherever she is trying to nap)
One of the reasons I love my dogs is because they are great outdoor dogs. I love taking them out to open spaces or forests and letting them loose because I can tell how much they love it too. In fact in my house If I even touch a dog leash I will immediately be bowled over by two of the most excited creatures you have ever seen. The point is my dogs love being outside in the open running free. Now like other dogs they also enjoy sleeping and they take part in this activity quite a bit as well.

Occasionally, I’ll be watching TV and one of them, let’s say Mason, is asleep at my feet or somewhere near by and I’ll catch him dreaming. If you have ever seen a dog dream you know that it can be somewhat disturbing at first. My attention is usually drawn toward them because they make some sort or shortened whimpering sound. Glancing over at them I notice their body convulsing and twitching uncontrollably. This is very disconcerting until I notice that their eyes are closed and I realize that they are dreaming. As I watch I become somewhat saddened by the whole display, because I know in my heart that they are not dreaming about sitting in the house all day waiting for us to come home from work. No, they are dreaming about the outdoors. They are dreaming about that rabbit that they chased after the other day or the mud puddle they ran through or the other dog they ran into on the street who has been given the freedom to run around outdoors.
Instinctually a dog is called to the outside world that’s where it belongs that’s where it thrives. Dogs were not meant to be locked up in a house or a cage all day just for our enjoyment, No they were meant to be free. Now, I am no animal rights activist so don’t let my verbiage turn you off if you have animals living in your house. I am merely walking us through this scenario to help us see something in our own lives spiritually.

When we become a Christian the book of Acts tells us that we receive the Holy Spirit into our lives. Many of us, once we’ve received the Holy Spirit, try to keep it caged up or domesticate it like we do a house pet, but the spirit of God was not given to you for the sole purpose of your enjoyment in your house. The spirit of God was meant to run free through you in to the outside world. Unfortunately, in many of us the spirit lies in our lives twitching and dreaming of the “outside” world where it can chase after the souls of unbelievers in your midst. Where it can run through the muddied lives of sinners and wash them clean. Where it can make contact with itself in another believer who is letting the spirit in their lives run free.

We do not control the spirit, but how we allow it to use us in God’s plan for this world is under our control. In reading through the book of Jonah recently I was reminded that God can and will work despite our attempts to cage up His spirit, but as a believer I find very little satisfaction in that. I am of course glad that my fear and idiocy cannot get in the way of God’s plan, but my soul longs to be used by God to do great things! I possess the same power and spirit in me that Jesus and the great prophets were filled with and yet my fear and desire for comfort keep that power at bay in my life. I want to see this power unleashed in my life and I want to inspire others to do the same. So, I hope this blog, for those who read it, will do that for you and this entry will be a starting point. Unleash the power of the Holy Spirit in you life. Let it run free!