Acorns are most commonly found scattered across the ground during the fall months. The trees shed their leaves and their acorns and the squirrels collect the acorns to keep them nourished during the winter. Well, if your yard is anything like mine, we still have an abundance of acorns. This reality could be attributed to the fact that our two dogs keep our yard squirrel-free.
Now, I know that acorns can be unhealthy for dogs. I am aware of this fact, and yet, much to my dismay (and many efforts to break the habit) our youngest dog, Maddux, cannot get enough of them. They are treats to him. When we go outside, his attention is so gripped by the acorns that he ignores entirely the commands that we give him. In a recent moment of frustration, my husband, Brian, made this statement: “It doesn’t matter how well Maddux does obeying commands inside, when we go outside he is confronted with a thousand distractions in the form of acorns.”
Here is the truth: we all get distracted. Many of us attend church at least every Sunday. We learn from our Pastor, our small group, our Sunday school class, and others how we ought to behave. We know what obedience to Christ and his commandments looks like, and yet when we step foot outside, into the world, we are confronted with acorns, or distractions catered specifically to the areas where the enemy knows we are vulnerable.
Observe therefore all the commands I am giving you today, so that you may have the strength to go in and take over the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, and so that you may live long in the land the Lord swore to your ancestors to give to them and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey.
Deuteronomy 11:8-9, NIV
The Lord is calling us onward and upward: onward towards the blessings he has prepared for us today and upward towards a greater intimacy with him. When we choose to be obedient, we are building a foundation. With each step we take in obedience, we are better equipped to take the next one, and the next one. That is what the Lord is saying here: trust me, Israelites. Walk in obedience with me, and I will give you the strength you need to conquer your enemies.
As for us, we too have a choice each day to set our hearts on Him and experience His love and faithfulness or be tempted by the acorns of this life and be disobedient, undisciplined, and disappointed. Rest assured though, if you remain obedient to the Lord, he will bless you greater than you can imagine.
