Are You in the Lap of Whom You Love?

John 21:15-17 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to them, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." He said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep."

There comes a time in every man's life where his wife gets the best of him. Last year, after I had a few days of vacation, she enticed me to go to the pet store to "look”— yeah, right—"look"?

You know how it goes. They ask if you want to hold the mutt just to get you hooked long enough for them to ring the register. And after that register rang up entirely too much money, we left with the only kind of dog we would ever buy—a peek-a-poo, a white little lap dog, two months old and full of energy. I broke my policy of no impulse buying, so there was no surprise when I woke up the next morning with a bout of buyer’s remorse.

"My love for my dog is growing, and I am learning something about God's love from my dog."

 From Buyer’s Remorse to Lesson in Love

God can teach us about him through even the simplest everyday activitie

The dog is incredibly cute. However, though I’m glad I own a cute dog instead of an ugly dog, the fact that this puppy is cute didn’t generate any of my love for it, at least none that I can think of. Indeed, I can't really say I became a dog owner for any good reason other than to show off the dog when company comes over. But now that we’ve had the dog for a while, I’ve witnessed a strange phenomenon. My love for my dog is growing, and I am learning something about God’s love from my dog.

These are some things that I have observed about my dog:

• Generally, he sits on the lap of the person who feeds him the most often. While my wife wins that award hands down, she once spent 10 days in Florida helping my parents. During her absence, our dog began to sense that I was now his food source. It was then when I won my first affection from him.
• He has an absolute need to lick the face of whoever is holding him.
• He loves the person who plays with him. Nothing excites him more that to play “tug of war” or “fetch the bone."
• He naturally rebels against the very people who feed and play with him. He really tries to obey us, but many times he fails. Sometimes, when we let him out, he does not return when called. Sometimes, even though we say “don’t bite,” he nips us in play.

Many times I have cradled this dog in my arms, stared at him, and wondered why my love for him has grown so much. He has done nothing tangible for the household—in fact, he consumes cash through his need for shots and grooming. Yet his existence has brought us joy, partly because we know he loves us.

The Distance Between Our Minds and the Mind of Christ

There is a lesson in this leader’s journey of love for his dog. I have recognized that the distance between the capabilities of my mind and my dog’s mind is far less than the distance between my mind and the mind of Christ. Yet I admit that up to this very word I type, I have been straining to know what specific lesson God is teaching me through this dog. Now, I think I have it. 


While the distance between our minds and the mind of Christ is great, He keeps loving us because we bring Him joy. 

God loves when we sit in his lap.

We bring Him joy when:

1. We sit on His lap.
2. We honorably play with the talents and gifts He gave us.

Then, in the same way that my love for my dog endures through His disobedience, so does God’s love endure with us. So far, my dog has only brought me temporary sadness when he rebels. My sadness is always temporary because my memories of his disobedience always dissipate the moment he returns and jumps on my lap.

As leaders we might apply these truths:

1. Love your followers like God loves us and like you love your dog.
2. Let your anger, sadness, and memory of wrongs dissipate quickly when your followers return to you.

I am sure God will bring me to a new level of understanding of Him through my interaction with my dog. In the meantime, my dog will remind me to remain in the lap of God so that my life will bring Him joy.

Whose lap are you on right now?