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dogs. On more than one occasion, Harriet muscled in and scavenged any food left in her host dogs’ bowls. When the other dogs rightfully tried to reclaim their food, Harriet turned “wolf” and backed them off with snarls and bared fangs. Daisy commanded Harriet to stop, but Harriet couldn’t restrain herself. She continued to gulp down the food, like she did on the streets, all the while keeping an aggressive eye on her more mannered peers. Daisy began to keep Harriet tightly leashed in the presence of other dogs. Harriet was off the street, but the street was still in Harriet.
    Within the month, Harriet gave Daisy another surprise. This dog was pregnant, and in due time gave birth to a litter of five. Daisy was amazed to see this street dog with attitude suddenly turn mother, patiently allowing her hungry pups to suckle to their hearts’ delight. When the little ones were old enough to be weaned off milk, Daisy spread out five bowls filled with puppy chow. She made sure each pup had its own spot, then proudly watched as they ate their first solid meal. But what caught Daisy’s attention was Harriet’s unusual behavior. She was sitting calmly to the side, watching her puppies gobble down their food. Normally, the sight of another dog dining would transform Harriet into a food-stealing bully. But Harriet restrained herself, leashed herself, and waited until her puppies finished their meal. Then and only then did she get up to eat from her own bowl. Daisy was impressed. Because of the special bond between mother and child, Harriet was able to restrain her selfish nature and put the needs and welfare of her pups ahead of her own. Daisy wound up keeping one of the puppies, a female named Cinco. To this day, Harriet restrains her old nature and allows her daughter Cinco to eat in peace.
    Human parents are also called upon to exercise self-control. When it comes to playing games or sports with a young child, any mom or dad will tell you it often becomes an exercise in restraint.
    When our son Skye was five, we put up a mini-basketball backboard in the house. It was mounted on the door, about six feet off the floor. This was almost double Skye’s height and it was very challenging for him to make a basket—especially when he was playing against me. I could slam dunk at will and block any shot he could throw up. If I’d gone all out against my young son, I could easily have demolished him—and his spirit—scoring thousands to his zero. But because he was my son, because of our father-son bond, I restrained myself—something I would not have done if playing against someone my own size. With Skye, I missed shots. I slipped and fell so he could run circles around me. I pretended to block. I allowed him to double-dribble, to foul me, even tackle me and pull me down, all without penalty. Because I loved this little guy, I voluntarily leashed my powers and my competitive nature so he could have fun, enjoy the game, and feel good about winning.
    A mother dog restrains her desire to eat first in deference to her pups. A human father restrains his superior athletic powers when playing basketball against his five-year-old son. If natural love has the power to inspire such restraint, what restraint might supernatural love inspire?
    The Bible tells us. In the most amazing act of restraint in the history of the universe, the Son of God restrained His awesome divine power and went to the cross in obedience to His Father’s will. He told His tormenters in Matthew 26:53, “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?”
    God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, who showed the ultimate restraint—so we could have the ultimate gift of eternal life.

    He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him (Psalm 103:10-11).
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