Puppy training

"Train yourself to be godly." 1 Timothy 4:7 (New Living Translation)

I have two dear friends, both of whom I call my "sisters", who are in the process of training new puppies.  My "sister" Cathi Ferri is training a St. Bernard puppy named Arthur.  My "sister" Margie Prout is training a Springer Spaniel puppy named Billy.  Both of them have to think ahead, of how any given habit will play out over time and increase in size of the dog.  This is especially true with the St. Bernard puppy, whose adult weight could be near 200 pounds.  The St. Bernard puppy, Arthur, must be taught now, while he is small, to be respectful, not to jump on people or shove them.  He must learn to be calm when he is in the house and to keep his rough-housing for outdoors.

 Billy, the Springer Spaniel is learning to greet guests who come to the door politely, not shrinking back in timidity nor lunging and barking in an overwhelming way.  Billy is learning to approach the door confidently and politely and to sit in the entry hall, anticipating the guests' entrance into the home.

Watching my friends train their dogs makes me think about the training we need to do in godliness.  Thoughts become actions which become habits which form character.  Thoughts, like puppies, need to be trained while they are still little, before they become engrained ways of selfishness or rebellion against God's ways.

Author C.S. Lewis explains it this way:

"Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance."  (Mere Christianity, Book III, p. 117)
--Posted by Mama O.

Arthur at 18 weeks

 

 

 

 Billy