I feel that I, too, am on a leash but this leash is self created. I'll call it my carnal self. Though it appears to guide my thinking in this world and lead me into strange trains of thought, I really can't blame it. The carnal self is nothing but a Satan-inspired manifestation of my desire to take care of business my way.

How can I be free of the carnal self and its strange desire to only know what serves its purposes? Obviously, as long as I'm strung out on all that is "happening" in the world (wars, murders, and materialistic things in general) I won't be able to truly accept my position as one of God's helpers. How can I, if I'm wrapped around the pole of this carnal world?

Fortunately, God sent His Son, Jesus, to help us be free. Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit that God placed in our minds. Why did God place the Holy Spirit there? Because that is where the leash and the pole of the carnal world are. All that limits and binds us to this world and wraps us up around it is in our minds. Every time I try to go forward, using this very limited tool known as the carnal self, disappointingly I find my head yanked back and I become despondent over how little I have and how much sadness and pain I am confronted with, daily.

The Holy Spirit, however, shares a place in my mind. It was placed there by Jesus to guide me out of this world of pain and suffering, I appear to live in. He gently prods me back around this pole of the carnal world and shows me what I thought was true, isn't. This can only happen when I reaffirm my relationship with the Lord, submitting, sometimes tearfully, to Him in all things. He will have me make fresh choices. Where, before I thought there was only one choice, this time, with the Holy Spirit's guidance, I recognize that I can withdraw from the belief that my happiness can only come from this world. It can't. This opens my mind to a happiness and a joy that comes from a depth within me I have rarely explored but was there all along since I have invited Christ into my heart. The Kingdom of God is within us and we can only be ushered there by Jesus, who is the way.

Once Jesus unleashes me from my beliefs that the world supplies everything I need, I find my disappointment being lifted. I see my focus change. I no longer stare at the long, dark, ominous shadows the world casts all around, but find, with His gentle but firm prodding, I prefer to dwell on the sunlight that more and more frequently, bursts through the clouds of ignorance.

I think I'll take my tired dogs to a field where I can unleash them and watch them run for awhile.

I found this dog pic at the site of the "Dog Blog."  

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