The dropping of the leash?

"Strength and need for connection" with another is something that we all need in some form to a certain dgree. 

In the video below Women of Faith speaker Marilyn Meberg speaks briefly about an incident that happened when she was in Rome.

It began with the barking of a dog, just to give you a hint.

When I think of strength and connections as they pertain to relationships, my mind's eye always leads me to the story of Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth.  I'll get to that story in a bit.

If you're a parent, I want you to think back to the time when you've had to leave your young child in the care of someone else.  If you're like me the only place you may be able to conjure is leaving them in the church nursery when they're around two.

Do you remember your child's reaction when they sensed your departure becoming eminent, and realized they would be left behind?  Mayhem, right?

The child, being only knee high usually will cling to the leg of the parent. Scared the connection will be broken, the child holds on tightly as if their life depends on not letting go.  

The child has not yet learned the strength and connection behind a  parents love.  So it clings out of fear of abandonment.

Thus was so with Ruth, I believe.

In the book of Ruth we read,"And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth Clung to her." Ruth connected to her mother-in-law.

They were ten years deep at least.

For ten years, I suspect Naomi had cared for the spiritual development of this young, now widowed, girl.  Cultivating her. Teaching her about her God, not just through stories, but by living out the stories right there in the midst of Ruth. Ruth saw authenticity in Naomi.

In the day-to-day living, teaching and pouring, a forming of strength and connection was born.  An unbreakable relationship emerged. Though they were not "kin" in the biological sense, Naomi had become more than her mother-in-law.  She had become her mother and her mentor.

Thus the child, Ruth, clung to her mother, Naomi, when she felt departure eminent.  When Ruth thought she would be abandon, when she felt the leash beginning to fall, she clung. She held on to her connection, the person who she found comfort and strength in, she was unwilling to lose.

Did you listen to the story of the dog in the Youtube video?

When the leash was dropped the dog felt the lost of the connection with his owner didn't he?

He felt lost, afraid and became scared.  

That dog is no different from many of us when the fear of abandonment takes hold.  Anytime you or I feel the strength of connection in a relationship fading. . . the leash being dropped, if you will, we usually want to discuss with the party involved what's going on.  And sometimes we too become fearful and bark in our own way.


Just like Naomi and the little dog we cling.


There's one thing we can count on friends.  Though storms may come and tides get high in our lives.  God is going to hold on to the leash that binds us to Him.


Never ever we will have to fear Him stumbling . . . become hurt or becoming tired where He wants to put the least down for even a second.  There's not many things in life we can count on, but God not dropping our leash is a for-sure thing.  It's something we can count on.


Hold strong to that fact today.


God bless.

Marilyn Meberg is one of the speakers I will have the opportunity in hearing at the Women of Faith Conference in the coming weeks.

Marilyn speaks each year to 350,000 women at the Women of Faith Conferences.  Ms. Meberg holds two master's degrees, and has authored several books.

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This post is linked to A Time Warp Wife