Nose to the Ground

Walking our treeing walker coonhound, Chloe, exercises our persistence and patience. We must keep her head up and looking forward. Only then will she move at a reasonable pace. If we allow her to put nose to the ground, our forward progress stops. We can spend several minutes in one spot while she sniffs love letters from other dogs, promises from rabbits and messages left from who knows how many wild things that may have crossed the path over the previous hours.

Scenthounds are gorgeous creatures because of those beautiful sad eyes and the large droopy ears and jowls. Those of you who love hounds know what I’m talking about. Those of you scratching your heads, or shaking them in disagreement just need to trust me. A sweeter class of dog simply doesn’t exist. True, they are woefully stubborn, but their loyalty and personality make up for it.

Specializing in following a smell, the hound has droopy ears and extra folds of skin that help collect scent from the air and keep it near the dog's face and nose. Most of these breeds have deep, booming voices and they are entertaining to hear…for a while. They do not have to be as fast as sighthounds but they must be able to stick with a scent and follow it wherever it leads.

While my ears are normal size, I do tend to resemble my coonhound in seeking the way God intends for me to go. I proceed nose to the ground, searching, searching. I’m moving slowly forward – reading and highlighting my Bible, going to Bible study, going to church – always busy. I fret because I’m concerned that I’m on the wrong path, that I may miss what He has for me to do, just like Chloe who has been known to miss spotting a rabbit because she is obsessing over a patch of weeds.

I’m studying “Discerning the Voice of God” by Priscilla Shirer. Listen to what she says:

“We look around every corner to discover God’s will. We often carry a load of responsibility because we wonder if our decisions are in God’s will. Desiring and doing His will is not our responsibility to discover; it’s His responsibility to reveal…No longer do I frantically search for God’s will; I frantically search for God. I trust that it is His responsibility to show me what He wants me to do and how to do it by speaking through the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.”[1]

Often believers who are experiencing what I am going through refer to “being in the desert.” I was active, productive and involved in Northern Virginia. I find myself now in a holding pattern. It is ludicrous for me to call my situation a desert one. God chose what is surely one of the most beautiful places on the East Coast to relocate me. And my spiritual life, my relationship with God, feels anything but dry. My time with Him is full, lush and well-watered.

My sense of direction is simply confused. But I have learned to take my nose off the ground and look up. I believe God is telling me to just dwell in Him these days. And so many times in my life, He has given me a time of rest to prepare for what is coming. Because when He gets busy, I have to run, head up. No time to stop and sniff!

Philippians 3:13b, 14
But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.




[1] Priscilla Shirer, Discerning the Voice of God (Lifeway Press, 2006) 41-42