Lean on Me

We used to have a dog that was a real leaner. He was a Great Dane... awesome dog. When he stood his shoulder was right at my hip level. He would always come up along side us and as soon as we started petting his head he would lean into us - all 120 pounds of him. If you weren't ready for it he would knock you over. It was a distinct trait about him. We'd have to warn guests that if they were going to pet him, to be prepared to hold up his weight. And sure enough, anyone who pet him and didn't heed our advice would get knocked over.

I've noticed my kids are leaners too. The other day in church we were all standing to sing. My kids stood on the chairs beside me so they could see - one kid on each side of me. The longer we sang, the more they leaned into me. It struck me at that moment that God tells us we can do the same.

We don't have to be going through a hard time to lean on him. Things don't have to be spiraling out of control before we lean into his embrace. You see, even when things couldn't be better God calls us to lean into him. It's a vulnerable place to be. If you lean fully into God, you're giving up control of where you're going. God is not some school yard bully that is going to move out of the way and watch us fall. But some people have trouble trusting that. These people never put all their weight into God. They hold back, just in case God moves and they're not ready for it. They don't trust him fully.

I think that is why sometimes God lets things get a little crazy in our lives. He wants us to feel what it's like to lean into him. Sadly, some of us don't start leaning until standing on our own has proven dangerous. Then and only then will we lean into God.

The thing is, my dog knocked me down a few times because sometimes I wasn't ready to hold him up. But you can never take God off guard. He's always braced, ready to hold you up.