Dog Days and His WaysSample

Stay

Training you dog to “stay” gives you the foundation to teach your dog to follow other commands. You can place your dog in a “stay” when you eat your meals or need him or her to stay put for a while. Teaching your dog to stay and wait patiently when someone comes to the front door or when you are preparing food is helpful for everyone. Sometimes, saying “stay” in an emergency situation, can save their life.

Perhaps you’ve seen dogs in competition events staying perfectly still no matter what is going on around inside the ring. A solid “stay” isn’t just important for dog sports, it’s helpful for good manners and household obedience as well. If your dog can “stay” in a position like “sit” or “down” it makes so many things easier such as grooming, answering the door or carrying in a load of groceries. If your dog knows how to stay on cue, you can manage their behavior well in public and in private. It may also allow you to let your dog off the leash in certain situations when they need to remain still.

One time I was asked: “If you could go back in time to one key moment in history, where would you go?” After thinking about it, I replied “I wish I could have been with Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane when He asked His beloved disciples to stay awake with Him on the night before his crucifixion.” My heart always is heavy when I think about what that was like for Jesus. All He wanted was for his dear friends to sit and stay awake, to simply be with Him and to pray with Him. (See Matthew 26.) Oh, how I wish I could have comforted Him then. If a dog would have been present, I bet he would have been right by Jesus’s side. Staying present was important to Jesus. He knew the importance of the staying power of friends. He even remembered to ask John to stay with His mother after He died.

Jesus encourages us to stay in many ways. He wants us to stay away from every kind of evil. As believers, we must “stay alert.” We have an enemy, the devil, and he prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. The apostle Paul reminded Timothy to “stay in the word” and that the Bible’s words are useful and equip us for every good work. When times are tough, our Lord reminds us to “stay calm” and that He will fight for us. When I think of what this posture looks like, I think of our little Fitz, who stayed by my side constantly after I had a major surgery. Having his tiny body next to mine was one of the best gifts I received during a hard time.

Father, as I practice “staying” with my dog, and with people, help me to stay alert, to stay away from evil, to stay calm and to stay in Your word. As I remain in Your presence, help me to meditate on Your promises.