Padawan

On Sunday, Brad and I adopted this 7-week-old pitbull puppy. We tossed around ideas for her name for a few days until we settled on Padawan. For those of you who have not seen Star Wars, a Padawan is a Jedi-in-training. Originally I thought this name was dumb, but it completely fits her. She's been learning everything about life from our 3-year-old pitbull mix, Stella. My Stella and her Padawan have taught me several things this week.

1. I am selfish and impatient.

Now, I knew this already. But to successfully train this little pup, I need to get up at 4AM to let her out, keep my eyes on her at all times, and be consistent though she whines through the night. To stay calm through all of this is a challenge as well. But if she's going to be a good puppy, I need to keep up every part of this training.

2. A dog knows more than I do sometimes.

Stella has been invaluable in training Padawan. She has been calm. She has been patient. She has been a good example of what a dog in our house should act like. Padawan loves Stella, so she'll do whatever Stella does. (On a side note, I'll never get a puppy without an older, well-behaved dog.)

But overall, and on a more serious note, 3. I am a Padawan in God's eyes.

I think of all the things that frustrate me about Padawan--no matter how many times we praise her, she still goes potty in the house; no matter what time we take her outside, she may still go potty in her cage; no matter how much food we give her, she still tries to eat Stella's food; no matter how many times we stop her, she still chews (gently) on things she shouldn't--and I think, that in someway, I do that to God. God encourages me in the right way; He corrects me when I do wrong; He cleans up after my "messes"; He provides for all my needs and many of my wants--and I still fail Him. I'm a sinful human who will never be perfect until Christ returns.

But praise the Lord, He is patient with me. Oh, how patient He is. No matter how many times I mess up, He lovingly sets me on the right path. My dogs are consistent visual reminder to me of how my heavenly Father keeps training me, the Padawan.