Mack and Abbey are our “house dogs”. I’m not sure when or where they started their lives, but we met them in an animal shelter more than a decade ago. They left their lives as stray dogs and their temporary shelter accommodations to come live with us in town. Several years later we all moved to the farm.
These two dogs have never completely adjusted to “farm” life in the sense that every bird, cat, squirrel, etc. captures their attention and insights a cascade of barks and howls – alerting us the the “vermin” within our boundaries.
I was milking Maddie in the pasture one morning when Abbey sounded the alarm. Not wanting to be left out, Mack – who cannot see or hear very well anymore – joined Abbey in the raucous barking.
The dog alarm set Jethro off. Jethro changed from his “waiting for breakfast posture” to his guard duty position. With all the dogs on alert, I got up from the milk stand to see what was happening.
The goats fur, ears and tail were erect. Snorting, sneezing and hoof stomping came next. Poppy waddled by with her feathers fluffed and added her protesting quacks to the cacophony.
I could see it now. Everyone was looking at the same thing… a mother deer and her two tiny spotted fawns grazing in the shade near the garden. Mama deer was looking too.
With her own head and ears up, mama deer was on the defense – looking to identify the enemy. Every animal in that space was anxious and alert, looking at the other for a clue to the problem. But there wasn’t any threat. No problem at all, just an anxious reaction to the unknown that set the tone for fear and worry.
And there it is. The Lord created a picture of the enemy called “anxiety”: the wasted energy of worry and painful, paralyzing fear of the unknown.
Our alarms go off and we worry about the unknown until anxiety reaches toxic levels. This pleases the enemy because, in this state, we are ineffective for Christ. We cannot be productive in our ministries, faithful in our service, or peaceful in our spirit when anxiety rules our emotions. That is NOT God’s plan. That is the work of a crafty enemy.
If (when) you find yourself struggling with worry, call it by name. Rebuke the real enemy and open your spirit to God’s plan. His plan is to love you through it. Try to read this verse out loud as you trust in His power to lift you up and out of ANY situation.
“I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer. Show me the wonders of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes.” Psalm 17: 6-7.
