by: Cris Corzine-McCloskey
It is one of the nicest mornings of the year. The temperature is perfection, and the trees are showing off all their gorgeous colors! Even my dogs seemed impressed by the beauty when we took our walk. There was extra wagging and sniffing going on, and Snickers came mighty close to catching a squirrel! Yes, it’s a beautiful day, but I know most people won’t notice because they are too busy overcomplicating their lives.
I heard a woman on the radio the other day talking about how she overcomplicates her life. She said the simplest things become difficult for her. If she misses someone, she will want to call them, but instead, she starts overthinking the situation. “What if they are busy? What if they don’t like me and that’s why they haven’t called? What if they are mad at me?”
I think most of us can relate to that. We allow our “what if’s” to paralyze us with fear. A simple thing, like reaching out to a friend, develops into something complex. Sometimes we go from missing a friend to resenting a friend for not calling us! Why are we humans so weird?
If Snickers thought like a human, his near-miss of that squirrel this morning would likely be turned into a tirade of overthinking and self-deprecation. He may begin second-guessing himself or thinking he’s a failure. “I’m just not a good dog…What if I never catch a squirrel?! What do the rest of the dogs think about me?! I’m such a disappointment!” And viola, his morning adventure would be turned into a cacophony of overcomplicated shame.
But Snickers is a dog, and as such, he lives simply and enjoys every second to its fullest. You see, the squirrel chase happens daily. Each time he thinks he’s got a shot at one, he runs with all his might…until he hits the end of his retractable leash for the sudden stop of death and chokes himself out. I know in his doggy mind he’s thinking, “So close, so close! Maybe tomorrow will be my day.” He shakes off the literal pain of failure, hikes his leg, pees on the tree the squirrel escaped in, and goes on to enjoy his day.
For Snickers, the fun is in the chase, and there are adventure and joy to be found in everything. He is a happy, happy dog. He knows he’s loved by his masters, and he trusts his needs will be met, so what is there to stand between him and a world full of sniffs and chases?
I frequently have clients tell me they think life is hard. I disagree. I believe some circumstances are difficult, sometimes excruciatingly so, but life is only as hard as we make it. When you put your hope and trust in Jesus, you have a Master who loves you, and all your needs will be met. On this side of life and the next. You are not designed to hold on to the things that make your life hard.
Last week I wrote about what it would be like to spend a day thinking like Jesus. For those of us who aren’t quite there yet, how about we just take a few lessons from Snickers? Wake up each day to embrace the adventure it holds. There is no such thing as failure because there is as much fun in the effort as a success. And if that squirrel you keep chasing taunts you, pee on its tree and walk off like a boss.
One response
Great stuff!