We have a neurotic dog and her name is Chloe.

Back in August we adopted Chloe from the Loudoun County Animal Shelter.  She’s a one-year old beagle and has, to put it kindly, issues.  We think she’s a failed hunting dog. She flinches at most sounds and runs away when she sees large men, (she’s terrified of Justin).  When there’s activity in a room, she paces and circles in the corner and she only eats at night when no one is around and the room’s dark.  When we call her, she comes and lays down just out of reach of your hand, but after you stretch to pat her, she belly-crawls up to you a few inches at a time until she is firmly pressed against your body.  She shakes when she’s afraid.

But with generous doses of love and patience, she’s slowly improving.

We found that she takes comfort in being on a lead and she really enjoys taking walks.  I say, “go on walks” but it could be more accurately described as “going on a sniff” because like a typical beagle, Chloe has her nose to the ground most of the time and only occasionally lifts her head to reorient herself.

Mondays are typically my day off, so, yesterday, I decided to do a walk down by the historic Bull Run, which meanders through the Manassas Battlefield and much of suburban Virginia on its winding path towards the Potomac River and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay.

There’s a trailhead about a 1/2 mile from our house, and since it was late in the day, and we were losing light, I decided to drive over.  I hooked Chloe up to her 25’ retractable leash only to discover that my keys and wallet were in the bedroom.  So, I led the already skittish Chloe to her bed in the living room and set the retracted leash beside her as I went to fetch my belongings.

Well, Chloe didn’t want to be left alone, so she followed me across the hardwood floors.  The spring-loaded lead gave way for about the first six feet and then began to drag noisily across the floor after her.

The next minute and a half was hilarious for us but absolutely terrifying for the dog as she sprinted around the house with her retractable leash “chasing” her- down the stairs to the landing and back, up, through the kitchen into the dining room, and back into the living room, weaving around the table. The plastic unit banging against the hardwoods, ceramic tile and chair legs as Chloe, tail tucked, tried to frantically escape the noisy monster that was chasing her.  I’m sure our hoots and hollers of laughter weren’t helping matters.

Here’s the thing.  Chloe had no idea that her frantic activity was actually perpetuating her troubles.  She was, in fact, the cause of her own running. It was a vicious cycle: the harder she ran, the noisier the clatter,  the more scared she became and the harder she ran. Had she simply stood still, the leash would have lost its energy, the spring would have relaxed, and the noise would have stopped.  But instead, she was in full fight/flight mode trying to escape the very things that her running was causing.

I think I do the same thing.

As busyness and stress and expectations increase, I have always had a tendency to ramp up my activity and cut back on sustaining my inner world… things like contemplation, spiritual renewal and prayer. I work harder and center myself less. So, when things get crazy, instead of starting my day with meditating on God’s word, I say… “I’ll just pick that up in sermon prep.”  Or instead of taking the time needed to discover God’s priorities for my day, I’m driven by a never ending  to-do list.

Enter, God’s ever-timely word: “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10)

As stress builds, demands multiply and expectations increase (especially during the holiday season), it feels like the ultimate act of faith to just STOP.  To be still. To listen. “How can I ever get everything done if I don’t start right now!?!” But STOPPING is exactly what we need. Being still allows us to take a few deep breaths and refocus on God and his priorities.  It separates us from the noise, clatter and demands that drive us so that we can do what is truly most important- rest in the goodness of God.

It feels counterintuitive, but when we learn to put God and his kingdom first, everything we truly need will be added to us (Matthew 6:33).