One of the downsides to Gimli having this crazy cool beard is that it gets knots and tangles so quickly, so we have to brush it out every few days. If you've ever had to brush tangles out of your hair, imagine having to brush tangles out of hair attached to your lips. Needless to say, Gimli does not enjoy this activity at all! But it has to happen or the knots will turn into what my mom used to call "rat's nests", or unintentional dreadlocks of the face. Not gangsta.
After the pump fake of bribing him then holding him down and brushing out the knots, Gimli is not happy with us. He immediately will run and hide in the back of his crate and not come out for half an hour or so. He is pouting and hiding from us because he's mad at us for putting him through a painful process. He doesn't understand how necessary it is for his well being. I can relate to Gimli because whenever God takes me through a painful process, whether it be discipline, life changes, transitions, inconvenience, any sort of discomfort, I want to hide from him. I don't want to pray, read my Bible, or seek Him out in any way. I don't care about His will or plan. I just want to pout and throw myself a pity party. I know I don't see the big picture, but in those painful moments, I really don't care about that. I am so thankful that I serve a God who knows my weakness, knows my heart, knows what's best for me, and will carry me through the hard times even if I do not respond the way I should. His faithfulness does not depend on my faithfulness. If it did, I would be completely without hope.
As I see Gimli run away from us and knowing that he doesn't understand what he needs but I do, God tells me, "Just like he doesn't know what he needs but you do, you don't know what you need, but I do. Trust me because you know I love you even if you don't understand my ways."
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