Our dog Gracie got out yesterday and before I could even bribe her with a gajillion doggie cookies, she flew down the road after a car. Why do dogs do that? Does chasing a car make any sense whatsoever? What was she going to do if she caught it? Did she think she was going to wrestle it to the ground and show it who’s boss? “Ha, I am Gracie the Wonder Dog and I have conquered the great metal beast in the name of all Dogdom.”

I would make fun of her a little more, but I can actually be much too much like that to get away with it for very long. It’s like I decide I’m going to chase down living a good life myself. Yeah, watch me; I can wrestle down that car!

But living a righteous life comes from giving God’s Holy Spirit control–not from taking control myself. If we want to be good people, we really have to understand that we can only do that through the goodness that God gives us. Giving him control? It’s better than the best doggie cookies. That’s where I need to stay. Yeah. Sit. Stay.

Rhonda Rhea rrhea@juno.com