Life Coach

Spaniels and Dachshunds instinctively trail, flush out, and retrieve. A mix of both breeds, our young dog's instincts needed honing. Scout’s first encounter with a box turtle was entertaining. He had never seen one and had no clue what to do with it. Sensing no danger from the curious furry creature, the turtle slowly made its way across the backyard from one pond to the next. Scout was close by, sniffing it and the path it journeyed. He enjoyed “visiting” with other turtles making the same trek. His visits were pleasurable until he found a turtle in the workshop. As Scout began his customary nose-to-nose greeting, his “Daddy” warned him several times to leave this one alone. Disregarding the warnings, the turtle not only snapped at Scout but latched onto his nose. This one was not a harmless box turtle but a snapping turtle. Once he shook it off, Scout gave him the space he demanded. Some life lessons are painful.

Training and experience—two basics through which we learn. Using God's standards, we must teach children the right way of living, that which is God-honoring, to avoid life's pitfalls: "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6). Such training takes commitment, and for the children's benefit, the trainer must persevere despite their cries of rejection. A loving, disciplinary hand is less painful than shaking off sin's snapping grip. Persevere in training the children entrusted to you. By doing so, they will learn to make correct choices, recognize the enemy's snares, and avoid needless pain.