Lessons from My Dog

One more time my dog is my spiritual teacher! If you have one, or have ever had one, you probably know what I mean. Time and again their love and presence have offered me deep spiritual truths. It happened again this week.

We’ve been looking after our ‘grandpuppies’ for the last three weeks. One day Finn started his dinner dance about 4.30 in the afternoon. I’m NOT going to feed him then. Right! I’m NOT. I’m NOT. He locks his eyes on me. I turn my head away, plowing deep into my book. Then the nails start clacking. The dinner dance had begun. He’d moved from the deep concentrated stare to the dance with prancing and jumping added to the deep stare. The final level comes when he adds in a bark or two. Just random barks that I accompany the prance and are always tied to that deep concentrated stare. When he is in full flow, he is one powerful beast!

Wouldn’t you know it, but just this week I’ve been reading in my meditation course about concentration. You know when Jesus says we’re to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength? Well my mediation teacher takes those verses and says, ‘Yes! We’re to apply all of our being, our feelings, our thoughts, our whole energy towards God. Everything. Everything. We’re to apply deep concentration in our prayers, in our meditations.’ Just like Finn throws his whole being into convincing me to give him dinner at 4.30, I’m to throw my whole being into an openness towards God within meditation and within life. Just like Finn.

Honestly, over my Christian life, I’ve spent hours in prayer, but really, how much of that time have I done a ‘dinner dance’ with God? How much of that time has been fully concentrated on God, not taking my eyes off, prancing and jumping, evening barking till I get what I’m looking for? How much? Honestly not that much. My mind wanders. A lot. It’s not that I don’t seek God and love God, it’s just that my mind wanders and I’m still much of the time, lost in my mind.

One more time, my dog is my spiritual teacher. I have so much to learn. I am humbled by how much I still have to learn.

What lessons has your dog taught you?

Love and prayers

Anne

Mystic in Motion

Founder Contemplative Fire (Canada)