Roxi was a Service Dog trained by an organization called “D.O.G.S. For The Handicapped”. Roxi was placed in our home as a certified Service Dog, to assist my first wife Laura due to complications from a neuro-muscular disease.
Roxi truly was a Wonder Dog! She could retrieve things for Laura such as remote controls, articles of clothing, and if she heard the printer start, Roxi would go over to the printer and gently take the paper(s) out and bring them to Laura. She would turn lights on or off-simply by asking her to do it!
One job Roxi had that she looked forward to everyday was bringing in the mail. The D.O.G.S. Organization gave us a large canvas “zippered bag”, that I would put in the mailbox each morning (we worked this plan out with our local Post Office). When the mailman came, he was supposed to honk his horn twice and while he’s putting the mail in the bag, Roxi would go out through her “doggie door” and meet the mailman at the fence to get the zippered bag. Well…Roxi knew the very first day what she was supposed to do. It took about two weeks to train the mail man what he was supposed to do! At first, he left the mail in the box and took the canvas zippered bag! Eventually we got the “bugs” worked out and I think Roxi and the mailman became pretty good friends meeting at the fence every day!
Roxi was obviously with Laura 24 hours a day to help her in any way. Laura’s requests to Roxi were just that-requests-not commands, very conversational, AND somehow Roxi understood! One time Laura said, “Roxi, I’m chilly, my sweater is back in the bedroom on the chair, could you go get it for me please?” Roxi got right up, went back to the bedroom, came back with her sweater and jumped up on the bed and mouth-handed it to Laura! Another time she said, “Roxi, I think my glasses are on the dresser in the bedroom. Could you go back there and very carefully get them for me please?” Roxi got right up, went back to the bedroom and was gone for a couple of minutes and here she comes, carrying the glasses by the earpiece!
Imagine for a moment how different things would have been if in bringing the sweater to Laura, Roxi brought it half-way, dropped it and walked away…Or what if she had brought the glasses back but dropped them about 10′ away from Laura’s bed? Well, for one thing it wouldn’t have been much of a story to tell! But it would have been “classic partial obedience” -which is nothing but disobedience-that’s why it wouldn’t have been a good story…
In our own lives, we always need to remember to listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives, so that we are prepared to obey God with the right heart attitude. Let’s not give God partial obedience-a.k.a. disobedience.
“Blessings on all who reverence and trust the Lord-on all who obey him!” Psalms 128:1 (TLB)
Till Next Time…..
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