Years ago in a Seminary class, we were talking about how the commandments make us more free and how sin chains us down. And of course, Satan tries to turn it completely around claiming that the commandments are what tie us down, and the person sinning is free.
So as we were discussing these ideas and giving examples, a wonderful student named Abbie had a great example that has stuck with me all these years.
Abbie’s family had gotten two dogs. Gus was the very obedient dog. He stayed in the yard, and on walks he hardly needed a leash. If a cat walked by, and you told Gus to stay, he would. For this reason, Abbie’s family could take Gus just about anywhere with them, and never had to worry much about him.
In contrast, their other dog Pippin was always trying to get out of the yard, and on walks he was constantly trying to chase after something and would not be obedient.
So in the end, Gus had all sorts of freedoms and privileges, while Pippin, sadly, was usually tied up to a tree in the back yard with a leash because as Abbie put it, “he couldn’t resist anything and had a hard time obeying.” So in conclusion:
Which dog wanted freedom the most and which one got it?
What made it so he could have those freedoms?
How is life any different for us?
What do we sacrifice to have freedom?
So as we were discussing these ideas and giving examples, a wonderful student named Abbie had a great example that has stuck with me all these years.
Abbie’s family had gotten two dogs. Gus was the very obedient dog. He stayed in the yard, and on walks he hardly needed a leash. If a cat walked by, and you told Gus to stay, he would. For this reason, Abbie’s family could take Gus just about anywhere with them, and never had to worry much about him.
In contrast, their other dog Pippin was always trying to get out of the yard, and on walks he was constantly trying to chase after something and would not be obedient.
So in the end, Gus had all sorts of freedoms and privileges, while Pippin, sadly, was usually tied up to a tree in the back yard with a leash because as Abbie put it, “he couldn’t resist anything and had a hard time obeying.” So in conclusion:
Which dog wanted freedom the most and which one got it?
What made it so he could have those freedoms?
How is life any different for us?
What do we sacrifice to have freedom?
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