God Comes Down To Us

by A.C. Williams

Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.  Philippians 2:6-8 NLT

Recently, I got to dog-sit for a dear friend. She has two dogs, a little old white fluffy dog and a bigger younger golden fluffy dog. She set me up in her adorable little house, gave me the run of her kitchen and pantry, and provided a list of things that needing doing while she was gone.

Not a problem, I thought. How hard can dog-sitting be?

Shoot. If I ever think that again, y’all have permission to kick me.

Turns out dog-sitting is very hard, especially when one of the dogs doesn’t trust you. This silly critter spent thirty minutes making sure I was fully aware of her disapproval. The entire first day, she wouldn’t let me within three feet of her. That was a problem because she wouldn’t go out. I couldn’t walk her. I couldn’t give her meds. AND she wouldn’t eat.

Worried for the poor dog’s safety, I asked for help, and my friend’s neighbor came running to the rescue. And what do you think she did?

She got down on all fours and crawled around the kitchen floor, laid down on the dog bed, and acted as though she would eat the dog’s food. I believe there was a conversation about vegan meatballs, too.

Guess what? The dog calmed down, ate her food, and chilled right out.

The dog was scared. She felt alone. And a stranger had come into her safe place. She needed someone to come down to her level, to walk like her, to live like her, so that she could learn to trust them.

As I watched this neighbor lady crawling around on all fours for the sake of a silly, stubborn puppy, all I could think about was God’s grace.

Maybe some of us sneer at the idea of crawling around on all fours for the sake of a dog. Maybe some of us would never stoop to doing something so ridiculous.

My friends, what do you think Jesus did for us? He is God. He made the universe. All of creation began with Him (Colossians 1:15-17). He didn’t begin in that Bethlehem manger. He existed before Time. And He put on human skin and came to us (Philippians 2:7).

We were scared and stubborn and lost (Luke 19:10). We were lonely and empty inside. And He didn’t sneer at the idea of humiliating Himself. He crawled down in the dirt with us for three years, going knowingly to the most excruciating death in history, all for the sake of giving us someone to trust with our eternal souls Philippians 2:8).

So the next time you run into someone who needs help, remember how Jesus helped you. The next time you encounter another person who looks different than you do or who doesn’t dress as nicely as you do, remember what Jesus gave up to reach you. The next time you butt heads with some stubborn person who disagrees with you, remember the status Jesus sacrificed to have a relationship with you.

Oh, in case you were wondering, the dog and I figured each other out. A few days into my dog-sitting stint, we became buddies. But I had to take a page out of the neighbor’s playbook and get down on the floor with her for a little while.

This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).

About the author: A.C. Williams is a coffee-drinking, sushi-eating, story-telling nerd who loves cats, country living, and all things Japanese. She’d rather be barefoot, and if isn’t, her socks won’t match. She has authored eight novels, two novellas, three devotional books, and more flash fiction than you can shake a stick at. A senior partner at the award-winning Uncommon Universes Press, she is passionate about stories and the authors who write them. Learn more about her book coaching and follow her adventures online at www.amycwilliams.com.

Join the conversation: How do you practice the grace of God?