My family has a labrador retriever name Maximus. Since we got him at 10 weeks old, he has been quite the handful. To say he is energetic and strong-willed is an understatement! Therefore, professional training was necessary for us to learn how best to work with Maximus to make him the best pet he could be. Last weekend, our family went out of town and left Maximus, now 2 years old, with his trainer for boarding. During his stay, he had a refresher course to practice skills from past training. One thing that they worked on was keeping his mind focused on his handler at all times. As mentioned before, Maximus is very energetic and easily distracted, so this exercise was to teach him to look for guidance from his handler, whether it was to sit, lay down, heel, etc. When he is focused on his trainer, he is successful.

When I thought about this, I had a realization. Just as Maximus is supposed to keep his focus on the trainer and look to him for guidance, we are also to keep our focus on God and look to Him for guidance. In a world full of distractions, God is here to guide us and teach us through life; He is our trainer. He loves us so much and wants us to succeed and reach our God given potential. He will lead us and help us through the different seasons of life, as we seek to fulfill His perfect will for our lives.

Suggested prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for guiding me through life. Please help me to keep my focus on you and to turn to you in every circumstance. Thank you for Your Word that is the ultimate manual for anything I can possibly face. Help me submit to Your will. In Your precious name I pray, Amen.

1. Psalm 25:4-5 (NLT).

Today’s Encounter was written by: Gianna B.