You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. -John Heyward, 1546.
I’d been a part of the Presbyterian Church (USA) for decades when it happened. A parable of Jesus and a worship song got together in my mind and formed a new calling. Rather than continuing as a pastor of a congregation or a missionary to another land as I had been, I was sent out like the shepherd seeking the 100th sheep1 with nothing more than the lyrics of the song “Oceans” by Hillsong.
You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown, where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep, my faith will stand.
It wasn’t just an idea popping into my head. It was something that arrived from the outside, and it brought tears to this old dog’s eyes. It’s tough to go against centuries-old wisdom, but when following Jesus, you can’t let a saying get in the way. Now that I am some years along this “ocean path,” I can state, with confidence, that an old dog can learn new tricks, at least when it comes to Jesus. I am living proof!
Not that it has been easy. Working outside of the institutional church has been challenging. After all, I’ve been a part of the Presbyterian Church (USA) for my entire professional life. And though I continue to be supported by the PC(USA), adapting to work beyond the support of congregational structures has been difficult. At first it felt like freedom. Then it felt like a problem. The freedom threatened my entire way of validating myself.
I had to confront the previously hidden fact that my sense of worth came from my posture within the institutional church. Over the first few years of my pastoral work, I learned that I wouldn’t be the pastoral version of a superstar. Leading from the pulpit of a megachurch was not my path. Instead, I had found a place working from the margins of the institution, generating new ideas to overcome the systemic problems causing church decline, and, at least I thought, leading the denomination to renewal. This approach allowed me to build a resume of church development, of mid-level denominational work, of coaching and consultancy that made me feel like I was doing something that mattered.
Once I followed my new calling, however, stepping out “upon the waters” in search of the 100th sheep, it became painfully obvious that my system of validation was limiting. My way of doing ministry had ruled out many, even the majority, of people on the planet who are far from going to church. It kept me from seeing many simple ways, unencumbered by denominational responsibilities, I could build relationships with those very people. With this realization, I began to fear that this old dog couldn’t learn new tricks.
The saying began its life in 1523 as a morsel of wisdom from a book on animal husbandry. The phrase emphasized a literal observation: a dog learns best when young. If it doesn’t learn obedience early, it will comply only with difficulty later. Over time, the saying became a common perception about humans; a metaphorical generalization of what some younger people experienced with some adults, stubborn and set in their ways.
The truth is that many older adults continue to learn throughout their lives. I continue to work through my fear and adapt to my new calling. Most of my energy at this point is going into my second book. It is the first time I have written historical fiction, so there is much to learn about this new challenge every day. I am thankful that Jesus is calling this old dog to learn so many new tricks.
If you are an “old dog,” what new trick can you learn today?
If you are a “young dog,” what new thing is God challenging you to learn today?
Luke 15:3-7: Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”