Sometimes we’re experts at getting all up in other people’s business. We believe we know better, or that our advice is what they need. Everything from how to parent to how to dress to how to drive. It usually happens in my family at holiday meals such as Thanksgiving or Christmas. We love to tell each other when to put the potatoes on to boil or how to set the table. We’re just trying to be helpful, aren’t we?
This past year my mom, sister, and I implemented something that has revolutionized my life. It comes from the movie, “The Pink Panther.” A man points to a dog. Thinking it belongs to the gentleman standing nearby he asks, “Does your dog bite?” The man replies he doesn’t. The dog proceeds to bite him. He looks at the man incredulously and says, “I thought you said your dog doesn’t bite.” To which he replies, “It’s not my dog.”
That’s our new phrase when it’s not our job or our decision. At Thanksgiving, I started to tell my sister she needed to do something. She looked at me and said, “It’s not your dog.” We both cracked up laughing. My mom mentioned I should begin to assemble my casserole. I replied, “Not your dog.” Again, we laughed. I started to explain how to do something technical on a family member’s phone, chuckled, and said our catchphrase, “It’s not my dog.”
It has transcended holiday meals, and we use it for any situation. I’ve implemented it with my friends. Sometimes I’ll even catch myself and say out loud, “It’s not my dog.” It’s been so fun. While driving through town, the person in front of me creeps along way below the speed limit. Instead of my usual exasperation, I think, “Not my dog,” and move into the other lane.
The other day I was worried about a situation and started to pray. I felt in my spirit God whisper, “It’s not your dog.” It opened my eyes to a whole new perspective. Most of what concerns me is not my dog. It’s up to God to handle. It’s in his hands. I’m responsible for what I can control, which is usually my attitude and how I react, but God is the one working in the situation.
I challenge you to implement this phrase. Your child appears in the kitchen dressed for school in mismatched clothes. It doesn’t hurt anyone and he’s super proud of selecting his clothes. “Not your dog.” Maybe a co-worker is completing a task differently than you would. “Not your dog.”
But most of all, when things seem out of control and it’s likely a situation you can’t micromanage, that is the best time to apply our catch phrase and entrust it to God. He is always working on your behalf. He has a plan and knows the outcome. “It’s not my dog.”
