I recently heard Daron Earliwine preach a sermon where he relayed a story about having to keep his new puppy on a leash when they walk. After giving it some thought, he surmised that the reason he keeps his new pal on a leash is because he doesn’t trust him. They haven’t developed the level of trust where Daron can rely on his dog to stay with him in every circumstance. Since the dog can’t be fully trusted, Daron feels safer keeping him on a leash where he can exercise a modicum of control over his actions. His point was that we often treat God in the same way. We keep Him on a leash, so to speak, because we don’t fully trust Him. Let me explain a bit further.
When a dog is off their leash, they may roam into unfamiliar places. They might wander into danger. Ultimately they simply may find themselves in places they never intended to be. As long as we keep them on a leash, we can dictate where they will go and to a great extent protect them from any harm. We keep them safe and comfortable. And this is exactly how we want God in our lives. We enjoy Him walking beside us as long as we can keep some sort of control over where He wants to take us.
If we choose to “unleash” God, we may find ourselves chasing after Him in directions we don’t want to go. We very well could lose our comfort and safety. Letting God off of our imposed “leash” will more than likely lead us into circumstances that far exceed our personal comfort levels. And here’s the crazy thing: Because God gifted us with freewill, He actually allows us to keep Him on that leash if that’s what we should choose to do. We have to decide to let go and let Him lead us wherever He might choose. But here’s the rub – the only way to unleash the power and love of God in your life is to truly “unleash” Him.
Are you willing to take the risk of unleashing everything God wants to do with your life? Are you willing to get uncomfortable and even give up your security? Remember that the greatest risks always bring the greatest rewards. There is no better result or higher calling than unleashing the plans of God in your life.
It’s up to each of us. We can choose to put God on a leash, and He will respect and comply with our decision, despite the enormous grief it causes Him. Or we can choose the better way. We can unleash the love and power of God and trust Him with whatever the results of that will be in our lives. We cannot love fully until we unleash the love of God in our lives. We cannot serve perfectly until we unleash His power. Embrace the excitement of what this could look like in your life. Don’t keep God on a leash. Unleash Him.