Mollie is a lively, playful, and uninhibited puppy. She is easily wound into a hyperactive, cannot sit still, got to keep moving child that just wants more! For her, chasing balls especially volleyballs and basketballs can be a unending and sweet experience! So is finding something, anything that appears to be special to you and stealing it. Garden gloves, plates of food, and plastic bottles are great targets.
It begins with game two levels. The first is your reaction; react and the sparkle in her eyes along with the bounce in her step clearly send the message that you can catch her if you can but it is not going to be easy! Second, the game goes up a notch if you decide to chase her. Then, ducking, weaving, and finding something that she can place between herself and you are all fair in love, war, and the game. The more intensely you play the more she enjoys the sweet taste of the competition.
“Stolen bread tastes sweet, but soon your mouth is full of gravel.” (Proverbs 20.17)
There is one exception. Just ignore the fact that your glove is missing. After a short time of playing by her self the game seems to lose its allure. Mollie is then on the outlook for something new.
I see myself in the games Mollie plays. I find myself enjoying the sweet taste of stolen bread; taking advantage of a situation here, exploiting another situation there. It is as if my human efforts are coming into focus and finally bearing fruit! Watching Mollie run through the shrubs, making paths where not have ever been or will be again, is reflective of the rush of life today. Get on a plane here, hold a meeting there, and deliver results at all costs! Soon the reality of what is really going on comes through and I realize that all I have is small stones from another’s path.
Today is an opportunity for a new game! I can give instead of taking; reach out instead of plundering; nurture instead of exploiting.
