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Walking With Molly
from March 2022
Gò0dNews for Everyone
Walking With Molly
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by Shelley Knick
The night our souls parted ways in this life was the night I understood how God used our eighty-pound German Shepard, Molly, to reveal His vision for our walk together. As I held her in my arms on that rainy night at the vet, my mind wandered to the beginning of our story. The orphaned dog that we had adopted was classified as an “aggressive breed.” This left me with the weight of responsibility to train her. Before long, I was deep into the study of pack leadership: a model of dog training where
establishing the Alpha position and engaging calm-assertive energy are the critical ingredients to achieving a balanced, harmonious relationship.
Perhaps it was the simplicity of this philosophy that inspired me or its relatedness to many human dynamics. The path to becoming the Alpha in your relationship with a dog is mastering the walk. For our relationship to work, I had to become Alpha to Molly. This meant I had to take on the character, qualities, and most importantly, the energy of the Alpha. This insight was like a glimpse into what it was like to be God. We commonly read of a parent-child analogy with God. But I suggest even more inspiration may live in a parallel about the bond formation between two different species.
Make no mistake about it, my love and respect for Molly were both deep. Though we didn’t speak the same language, think in the same intellectual plane, or walk in the same posture, the magic of our connection lived in the space where our two species overlapped. My leadership in her life was not about ego or control. While a matter of responsibility, this discovery was rooted in a sincere love affair.
God is, by definition, always the Alpha. The beginning. The creator. The master. His Alpha position is simply a fact, much like my humanness in my relationship with Molly exists as fact. Whether she humbled herself to my lead or not, my species is in authority over hers. That authority does not guarantee a harmonious relationship. Even simply meeting basic needs breeds familiarity, not harmony. Acknowledging the facts of the natural order is basic. Cultivating a relationship through the daily walk can trigger inspiring potential. Through consistent, intentional time together, dogs have even been known to develop human qualities. Have you experienced the purity of a balanced walk with a calm submissive animal? It is peaceful. It is relaxing. It is harmonious. Contrast that with an unruly, imbalanced, aggressive, or assertive animal that is constantly fighting for command. It’s tense, frustrating, and stressful. During our walks, I began realizing what it is like for God when He and I walk. My attention was scattered. I seemed to jerk impulsively and constantly fight His lead. Also, in my excitement, I could get ahead of Him, even on the good things. Basically, I came to realize I was trying to walk Him rather than walk with Him.
It became increasingly obvious that everything I really want in my relationship with God does not come from what He does for me, but in the harmony cultivated through traveling with Him as my Alpha. My calm submission offers the gateway to an electrifying hum of energy between us. It’s in striding in that space where the power ignites. Tensions are absolved. Radiating vibrations are catalyzed. At the time in my life when Molly arrived, my ideas of a powerful, fruitful relationship with God had become practically hostile in contrast to these new insights. With each walk, came a wordless sermon.
About The Author Shelley is an aspiring writer. She is also a nurse, a wife to her high school sweetheart of 22 years, a brand-new mama to their miracle baby, and a new resident of Rome after moving from Washington state.
