Burrs and Discipline

Last week, we decided to take advantage of a perfectly beautiful day and take the dogs on a walk around a nearby park we don't often take the time to enjoy. The dogs had a blast! They ran through the grass, playing, rolling around, sniffing each other's butts- all the things dogs love to do. When we got home form our walk, the dogs started licking and biting their feet furiously. We quickly noticed that their legs were covered with little tiny burrs they had picked up in the grass. They both had hundreds of these little things, each one wound tightly around their hair and had to be picked out one at a time. Obviously it was hurting their little feet and they were anxious to be free from their prickly presence. So we each took a dog and started picking. They resisted at first, as it was clearly very painful to have their hair pulled over and over. But there was no other option. The burrs had to go, and they couldn't get them out by themselves. They needed us to do it for them. They knew this was the case, so eventually they just relaxed in our arms and let us do the job. When all the burrs were removed, Gimli even snuggled up to Paul. It was like he was saying, "Thank you Daddy for getting those nasty things off my feet!" 
I am so challenged by the way our dogs totally trust us to do what is best for them. In my life, God is constantly removing "burrs" that I picked up from the world.  I absolutely hate the process of having them removed, and so often get so irritated with God for how He works to get rid of them.  The truth is, just like Gimli and Virginia, I cannot get rid of them myself, and their presence in my life hurts me.  God, in His perfect love and wisdom, chooses to take me through the painful removal process for the greater good of not having those painful pricklies in my life anymore. I usually don't see it that way.

Inevitably, I will be be picking up "burrs" throughout my whole life, some because of sin, some just because of life. To be honest, this is so scary to me and I find myself just begging God not to let anything bad or painful happen to me. That is unrealistic, and unbiblical actually because the Bible teaches us that through suffering we become more like Christ & experience Him in an unparalleled way. My prayer is that I would become so convinced of God's love for me, His character, His goodness, and His wisdom, that, like Virginia and Gimli, would just relax and let God do His job of changing and molding me, even when it hurts.