How to Stop Fighting God

Has a dog ever taught you a life lesson?

Mine has.

Gus, our Old English Bulldog, is full of eclectic personality. He is sweet, stubborn, feisty, dramatic, adventurous, and scared of the most random items (Amazon boxes, chalk drawings, new tile flooring…).

He’s also super smart. I enjoy observing him when he problem solves. You can almost see his mind working to strategize—whether that’s to get what he wants or get out of something he doesn’t want to do. Because, if he doesn’t like something, he has no problem letting us know.

And that’s where the lesson comes in.

Bulldog Health Issues

Gus has minor health challenges. Things like allergies, excessive ear wax accumulation, and bloodshot eyes. For the allergies, we have to put pills down his throat because he picks it out of food, pill treats, etc. (I told you, he’s smart!) For his ears, we use cotton balls and an otic cleanser to rub the inside of his ears. And, more recently, for his eyes, the vet prescribed a gel that we have to squirt directly onto his eyeball.

As you might imagine, he hates all of these things—all done to keep his nine-year-old body functioning at its best. The moment he sees us with any of the above medication, his body language instantly changes. He stops. Puts his head down. Looks away from us. He makes it clear that he knows what’s about to happen, and he is not happy.

But, he doesn’t run away.

Yes, he typically moves his head around to avoid our hands, but that only lasts a few seconds, and in the end, he always lets us do it.

He also hates a B-A-T-H. Oh, and that time a skunk sprayed him. Not pleasant. But again, he lets us do what we need to do.

Dog being cleaned off after getting sprayed by a skunk — After the skunk incident

Old English Bulldog in a tile shower about to get a bath — HATES a bath

For years, I’ve watched him do this. Well, since 2020, when John and I started dating and Gus came into my life. My point is, this is not a new behavior for Gus, and yet, the (human) life application I’m about to share didn’t strike me till just the other day.

Don’t Run from Discomfort

As I read my morning devotions, something in the Bible or in my prayers popped Gus into my head.

Even when he hates what we’re about to do, he doesn’t run.

That’s exactly how I should be with God.

Whether I see it coming or not, there are times in life when God allows uncomfortable things into my life to teach me. Help me grow. Strengthen my faith. All things that are ultimately good for me. They just don’t seem good in the moment.

The medication we apply to Gus certainly doesn’t seem helpful to him in the moment either, but, it’s what the doctor ordered to keep him healthy and live a longer life.

When I face a particularly challenging roadblock or discomfort in my life, my instinct is to run in the other direction. Avoid. Avoid. Avoid. Why is this happening to me?

It’s not until I step back and consider the big picture that I know I need to step into the uncomfortableness and see what it can teach me. And when I do, it does change me for the better in the end.

Gus certainly isn’t contemplating the bigger picture when he stops moving and allows us to apply his doggy medicine or give him that dreaded bath. But, what he IS doing is trusting us. He knows we love him and won’t hurt him because we take care of him every single day.

And God is no different. He loves me. Provides for me. Hates seeing me hurt. And wants me to live a full life. So, how can I not trust Him?

Even when I don’t like it. Even when I question what He’s doing and start to tense up. Or look away in fear. Even then, I know I can trust Him and let Him do it.

And on that note. Gus’ reactions are also a lesson.

Yes. Gus shows us his unhappiness. He stays motionless. He shakes his head a little. Sometimes, he even lets out a groan.

Old English Bulldog curled up in a dog bed with a blanket. — Pouty Gus

It reminds me of King David in the Bible. Throughout the Psalms that David wrote, he showed God his emotions. He asked the “why?” questions. He told God he didn’t understand why things were happening. He voiced his agony, distress, and discomfort.

But, he trusted God anyway.

And God gives us David’s words as an example today, to show that we can also come to Him with all of our real and raw feelings. We don’t have to put on a happy face for God and pretend we’re okay. He wants us to engage in sincere conversation with Him and let it all out.