Running to Forgiveness

"Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, otherwise they will not come near to you."

Psalm 32:9

As I read this verse, my dogs immediately come to mind.  Before I continue, let me introduce you to them quickly.  

Meet Hank, the everyone-loving, athletic leader of the bunch: 

And Drover, the big lug of a baby who craves belly rubs and head scratches, knows how to open our screen door by himself, and follows Hank like a young duckling:

Last, but not least is Nika, the spoiled, spunky home alarm system who loves picking at her big brothers whenever she gets the chance.  

When I read Psalm 32:9 this morning, my mind jumped to the times I have walked my dogs.  Drover is a breeze to walk: he sticks to my side fairly consistently without pulling unless he sees a squirrel or rabbit close by.  Hank pulls more than Drover because he tries to lead, but he still responds fairly well to tugs on the leash.  Nika, however, pulls the ENTIRE TIME.  It is not just a moderate pull either.  She throws all of her seven or eight pounds into the harness and looks like a sled dog trying to pull a couple polar bears.  She also zigs and zags like a pinball.  If I didn't have her on the leash, she would chase every squirrel, rabbit, cat, dog, bird, child, and leaf in sight and getting her to go where I wanted her to go would be all but impossible.  If I didn't use collars, harnesses, and leashes on my dogs, they would definitely go do their own thing instead of sticking with me.  They would also probably get pummeled by a car because they don't know enough to stay out of our busy streets.  

In Psalm 32, David tells us not to be like the horse (or like my dogs).  He gives us this counsel after describing his experience of holding on to his sin and then eventually confessing it and asking for forgiveness.  How easy is it for us to wander away from a close walk with God and then sit miserably in our sin, refusing to bring it to the One who can grant us forgiveness and healing?  David tells us that when we are in that situation, we shouldn't be like the horse or like my dogs and stubbornly make God rein us back in with a rope.  We should have understanding and know that "many are the sorrows of the wicked, but he who trusts in the LORD, lovingkindness shall surround him" (Ps. 32:10).  When we do hold back stubbornly, our problem is that we aren't believing this statement to be true.  

Again, I think of when Nika does something that she knows she isn't supposed to do (e.g., chew on the rug, chew on our shoes, defecate by the door...).  When I catch her in the act and scold her, she doesn't come running to me.  She tucks her tail between her legs and retreats a few feet away, but she always looks back to me and inches forward as though she wants to come to me but isn't sure if it is safe yet.  I don't scold her for the sake of scolding her, but I want her to learn what is and isn't acceptable.  When I see that she has gotten the message that her actions were not okay with me, I always invite her back to my arms and give her an alternative to whatever she was doing wrong.  When we have sinned, we sometimes picture God as hovering over us, waiting to stomp on us.  We desire the close fellowship with Him that we lost when we sinned, but we don't always trust that He is loving and willing to forgive us.  So, we cower and run away to soak in the sorrows of our sin and separation while God gently invites us to come back to Him.  

When we do finally come back to Him, agreeing with God about our sin and asking for His forgiveness, we find that He is truly trustworthy and overflowing with lovingkindness.  With David, we look back and wonder why we were ever so stubborn as to keep pulling away and we advise others to refrain from being "as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, otherwise they will not come near to you."  We know that it is much better to bring our sin to God quickly and avoid the sorrows that come from trying to hide it.  We can do this because our God is forgiving, trustworthy, and loving.  Thus, we can say with David, "How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered" (Ps. 32:1) and "Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones; and shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart" (Ps. 32:11).