Jul
22
We Don’t Roll in Poop!
I went for a walk yesterday morning and encountered a mother and teenage daughter walking their dog. They were walking towards me on the path that meanders through some house and trees in my neighborhood. When they were about 20 feet from me, their golden retriever left the path for the grass just off the trail with his nose to the ground sniffing away. Having found something he started to lay down. Before the dog could get to the ground, I saw the mother yank on the dogs leash and blurt out these words that became to me both a point of amusement and contemplation for the rest of the day. She said, “No! We don’t roll in poop!”
I thought about her words in a parental sense. What if the next time my kids want to watch a questionable movie, play a violent video game, or want to treat someone poorly, I simply responded to them as this woman did to her dog by saying, “No. I am sorry. We don’t roll in poop.”? I appreciated her “We” that showed a lack of hypocrisy. She was not going to pull her dog away only to role in the poop herself. The standard was not just for her dog, but for her as well. I wondered how my children would respond to my use of her phrase.
I thought about her words in a more serious spiritual sense, as if she were God and dog was me. I like being on the path with God, but there are times when I leave the path because I get a sniff of something and I want to check it out. And even when it is something bad, there are times that I want to role in it. I am thankful that I have a master who loves me enough to pull me away from that which I might role in and gets me back on the path with him.
I also thought about using this woman’s phrase in my personal life. What if when I was tempted to lash out in anger, lust, lie, engage in gossip, steal, etc. I simply said in my head “No, we (God and me) don’t roll in poop.”? Would that bring enough realism to the temptation to help me avoid rolling in it?
What are your thoughts?
Previous Comments
#1 from on July 23, 2008
Dave,
I like poop though!!! Good words Dave and isn’t that just like us:)
Russ
#2 from on July 23, 2008
What a mishap it would have been if there had not been someone on the other side of the leash. I have let my dog wander by himself to only find he will eat the poop. One mouring he wander away and when I called for him he did not come. I was worried that he was not going to come back when I call him.So I asked my God to bring him to me. I went back into the house and then the phone rang,it was the neighbor callin to say my dog was near his house.God had listen to my prayer and sent him back to me. Which our we,the dog or the women with the leash. I belive I’am the the one who is holding the leash and my actions are the dog. I think we should give God the leash and just be the Dog. Good story Dave, found it to be very thoughtful and made me to ponder.
#3 from on July 25, 2008
From a Parental view, we definitely don’t want our Kids subjected to roll in poo but the fact that we may unintentionally offer them to roll in poo by our stubbornness or generational sins - that tough.
I was thinking also when Jesus was subjected to many times rolling in poo, intentionally, or not. How did He keep his cool and stay humble. I have much to learn from that. Isn’t it amazing how He knows when we’ve blown it and calls us back? The closer I get to Him the less I want to roll in the poo but it sure makes you think!