Inconvenient

As I was doing the dishes this morning before coming to work, there was some activity outside of our apartment door in the common hallway.  We share this common hallway with 7 other units in our apartment complex.  And as usual, our dog, chance began his ritual barking.

Chance, who comes up to my knees at best, is normally not a loud dog.  In fact we had him probably a year or so before he ever barked.  And even now, he rarely does so.  But when he hears people in the hallway, especially if it sounds like they are near our door, he will bark.  And for such a little bitty dog, he has quite the “big-dog” bark!

So, as I began to yell at him to be quiet, a thought occurred to me.  Many people get dogs for security–a guard dog.  Funny thing is, almost every person that I’ve ever known to have a “guard dog” gets really upset when the dog is barking too much.  But wasn’t that the whole purpose of a “guard dog?: to bark at strangers?  Aren’t they supposed to grown and generally be protective of their owners?  But when they bark too much, people get upset.

I wonder if we ever treat God the same way?  The Bible describes the Holy Spirit as a sort of guard dog for our spiritual lives.  He is there, among other reasons, to keep us from falling into temptation.  Yet when He begins to “bark,” sometimes we get annoyed or just ignore it completely.  Or worse, we begin to get angry or defiant.

Maybe we should take a little extra time in prayer to make sure we are paying attention to the barking of the Holy Spirit. He is there to keep us out of trouble.  I know personally, I intend to make sure I am listening when He begins to speak to me and let me know when the enemy is coming a little too close.

What about you?