The Goose Pond

“A distracted existence leads us to no goal.” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 

My husband and I went to a tracking class with our puppy, General, a few days ago. We'd never been to one before so we didn't know exactly what to expect. The class teacher, Bev Stewert, emailed us and instructed us to bring some items to be used in class including a 6-foot lead (leash), some smelly treats for the puppy, and some water. We gathered these things and headed out to Nolansville where the class was being held. When we got there, we were greeted by a small group of people; some who had been there before and some who, like us, were brand new. I have to say I was pretty excited to be getting General out and about for some exercise. I was also excited at the prospect of him being able to "track" my lost keys or cell phone in the future! 

When all of the meet and greets were over, class began. I watched a few of the more advanced dogs for a while before it was our turn to let Liz, another instructor, teach General this new "game." Liz started out by placing a large stake in the ground with a flag on it. She bent down and placed a scarf with her scent on it on the ground near the stake. Then, she took my bag of smelly dog treats and placed some in a small glove she had brought with her. She put the glove in her pocket and then took some additional treats and crumbled them up and rubbed them on the bottoms of her shoes. She took very calculated and precise steps forward, about 20 yards, and placed the glove on the ground. When she did this, she made sure that General saw her do it by making a high-pitched noise to get his attention. Then, she continued to walk a bit and placed another flag indicating the end. She then did an about face and walked back the same way she had come saying to General, "I lost my glove! Can you go find it?" We were up!

I lead General up to the stake on a loose leash. I bent down as she had done and made sure he got a good whiff of the scarf (article). Then I stood and we were off. It seemed as if he already knew what to do. I said "go find it!" in a happy voice and he did. He put his little nose to the ground and began sniffing the straight line she had created with her shoes. This led him all the way to the glove where I rewarded him with the treats that Liz had placed inside. It was so much fun seeing the focus he had while looking for that glove. The funny thing is, he didn't really know what he was looking for until he got there but he was determined to play this game anyway. The dog that went after us, Fritz, had a bit more of a challenge. He didn't seem to be interested in the game like General had been. He would begin right and then become sidetracked by all of the other wonderful smells, sights, and sounds around him. One thing in particular was a large white goose that was swimming on the pond next to the field where we were tracking. He couldn't stop looking at that goose! It was almost as if the goose were intentionally making noise and flapping his wings so as to be as much of a distraction as he could! Fritz just couldn't resist looking and barking at him and never really finished tracking the item he had set out to. 

How much like Fritz can we, as Christians, be? Personally, I'd have to be upfront and admit that I am more often like Fritz then I am like General. It seems to me that I set out with good intentions and a desire to follow God and the path He has for me, and then I become distracted by life and the many situations it brings before me. I allow Satan to dangle other "smelly treats" in front of my face and I wander off the well-beaten path that I know is safe.  Sidetracks for me include my husband, my puppy, my friends, fun activities, and a variety of other things that I let get in the way of my relationship with Christ. Other things people in general struggle with are the opposite sex and the choices made in those relationships, family issues, friends and the choices they make, and things like drugs and alcohol. All of these things can cause us to become sidetracked and to lose focus on whats really important:Christ.


Now, again, these things aren't bad but they can be distractions in our lives if we let them. Even if the things we are doing we are doing for God, it can get to the point where it's not really God-focused. I heard a quote once that said, "Don't get so caught up in the work of God that you forget the God of the work." I think that's so true! I think I get so focused on the work I'm doing, or the relationship I'm perfecting, or the activity I'm participating in that I forget who I'm doing it for. Colossians 3:23 says, "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men." Everything we do should be as unto the Lord. He is the giver of life and thus our lives should be lived for Him. 


We need to make sure that as we wander down the many roads in our lives, that we stick to the path that God has marked for us. We need to make sure we are being purposeful in all we do and run towards the mark, the goal, that pleases God (Phil 3:14). If we do find ourselves distracted, however, and off the beaten path towards temptation, we simply need to refocus and ask for forgiveness if necessary. We can accomplish this goal everyday with continuous prayer and with daily time spent in His word. I heard a story about runners in a marathon; how they had to have extreme pinpoint focus or they could lose just by becoming distracted. They have to keep their eyes on the finish line. If they look behind them at the other racers, they could stumble, lose time, or run off the path and thus lose the race. We are like those runners. We have to have severe focus or we could stumble and fall and lose the race. God will always be there to pick us up if we do, but, if we kept our eyes ahead, how much less would He have to do so? So...let's keep going! Let's keep pressing on!

Picture: By Melissa Lee, Kentucky 2008