LIFE LESSONS WITH ARCHIE BY G R E G A . L A N E In 2014, my family was blessed with the introduction of a new “family” member … a Boykin Spaniel puppy that we named Archie. The stories I present in this month’s article come directly from my interactions with Archie over the past several years.
YOU’RE JUST GONNA HAVE TO FORGET ABOUT THAT
destiny. There are times when I’ve seen things on news reports and social media that stirred up anger and frustration within me. Just like Archie, I get distracted from the pathway I’m on, and God has to pull me back to my destiny and purpose with the words “You’re just gonna have to forget about that!” Not everything we see, smell, feel and experience are healthy for our spiritual and mental well-being. Distractions and detours are everywhere. You can’t
Archie and I were returning home from our walk one morning and, as usual, Archie was pulling on his leash trying to get out ahead of me. Suddenly, without any warning, he took a detour from the pathway as if being pulled by an unseen force. Actually, it really was an unseen force … he had caught the scent of something in the air and was running in all directions trying to find the source. He was pulling on the leash, jerking me in one direction and then another. I let him have about 30 seconds to investigate but then I said to him, “You’re just gonna have to forget about that” as I yanked him back onto the path and pulled him away from the distraction. Within a minute he had forgotten about the scent, and he was back to leading the way on our journey home. The words I spoke to Archie were echoing in my ears ... “You’re just gonna have to forget about that.” Sometimes God has to tell you and me the exact same thing. We get distracted on our pathway and get sidetracked by things that are either “none of our business” or are cleverly devised detours that the enemy of our soul has set up to keep us from our October/November 2022
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