The end of the leash

Teach me to see what I still don't see. Whatever wrongs I've done, I'll do it no more.' Job 34:32

Dogs at one end…human at the other end. Who will learn the most? Who will “get it” sooner?

At the end of the leashes are two six month old Golden Retrievers…Finnegan and Piper. My wife and I quickly realized when they arrived in January that life was going to be very different.

Night after night I would take them out at 2 or 3 am and ponder the question…”Why it is that tugging at the end of the leash is always the most interesting place for a dog?”  “Why is it that the most interesting thing is just one good sniff out of reach?”  “What’s wrong with the six feet of stuff they romped past to get to the end of the leash?”

You may have trained puppies or had a pet who strained at the end of their leash. Did you ever wonder why?

Did you ever think about your own life and wonder about the “end of your leash” and the things beyond it for which you long? I certainly have asked those questions! At times all you can see is what is just out of reach and you miss all that is around you. Job prayed: Teach me to see what I still don't see. Teach me to see, to understand and experience the goodness and beauty that is all around me. Teach me to find peace in the “now”, instead of longing for the “not yet”.

“Help me to see what I still don’t see” is an invitation to be aware of what too often you might take for granted:

• To be aware of the stories, challenges, hopes and dreams of the wonderful people with whom you serve each day,
• To be aware of the remarkable love of your family and friends,
• To find moments of awe and wonder as you look into the sky...day or night.

Every day you and I do our best to help folk who are straining at the end of their leash…seeking healing, some desiring to be whole, others just want to get back to life. Help them to “see what they still don't see”, by sharing what you see and appreciate each day.

Much more than Medicine indeed!

Peter

Peter Bath D.Min.
VP Spiritual Wellness and Human Development
Shawnee Mission Medical Center