Gaining Sight Of The Main Objective

Here’s a concept for you to consider. Let’s say someone has two Doberman pinschers guarding his house from robbers. If you are the robber, all you must do is throw a piece of steak into the yard, let the Dobermans fight over it, and then go into the house and steal all the belongings. Of course, you better have another steak ready for them to fight over so you can get back out of the house! The core instinct of most Doberman pinschers is that eating the steak takes precedence over guarding the house. Aha! 

That’s quite a deceptive way or strategy of robbing a guarded house. Some dog trainers might disagree with me, but you get the idea. Like those dogs, people often fall victim to ‘The Doberman Pinscher's Strategy.' I advise that we focus on the main objective, which, in the dog's case, was guarding the house.  

Another example of the strategy is the story in the Bible, where the Apostle Paul uses the strategy for good. The apostle Paul was in a complicated situation. He was on trial for his faith before the leaders of his faith. The accusers were two groups of religious people - the Sadducees and Pharisees. Each of these groups was trying to accuse Paul of wrongdoing. But while they were on the same team, so to speak, they each held differing religious views. One group believed in the resurrection of the dead, and the other did not. 

How did Paul get out of this situation? In Acts 23:6, he says, "I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead!" He threw the 'steak' of theological differences into the religious council's yard.

What was the result? The Pharisees and Sadducees started arguing with each other. The Bible describes the scene as a "great dissension," "divided," "great uproar," "quarreling," and "afraid Paul might be torn to pieces." It was a dog fight. Incidentally, after that scene, Paul walked away with a life insurance policy and an all-expense-paid trip by the Romans to Rome for fear of his safety. Why? He understood how ‘The Doberman Pinscher’s Strategy’ works. 

We can apply this to our lives, community, and country. We often allow the ‘steaks’ of individual differences to divide us. Take a married couple with a long history of unresolved differences or conflicts. All it takes is for someone or something to throw a ‘steak’ at them to spark an argument, and they forget about focusing on their marriage vows. 

I offer three suggestions about staying out of dog fights in relationships, both personal and in the marketplace. When best friends, customers, or allies turn on one another, “Houston, we have a problem!” Preventable broken relationships cause more emotional baggage than anything else in life. 

Suggestion 1. Remember the mission. What was the dogs' mistake? They forgot their primary objective. Their mission was to guard the house. Adam and Eve forgot, too. They were too busy eating the wrong fruit (the early form of steak) and forgot the mission of guarding the Garden of Eden from intruders. That is easy to do with a large steak staring at you. 

Remember, preserving and maintaining your marriage and relationships are more important than losing your future, children, or emotional health (assuming relationships are not abusive). Don’t sacrifice your future on the altar of the present.  

Suggestion 2. Discover preventative maintenance. The best solution to preserving healthy relationships is to keep unresolved issues from piling up. The Bible says, “Do not let the sun go down on your anger.” Ephesians 4:26 Why? The little things we pile up become big things, then huge things. Don’t let issues get to the point where one party has checked out and has decided it’s not worth the effort. It takes two to resolve a problem. You cannot negotiate with a terrorist, or with a checked-out, wounded person or customer. 

 The Dobermans could have guarded the house and eaten the steak by guarding it first, scaring off the robber, and then enjoying the fruit of their labor. Mission first, 'steak second,' and keep your relationships secure and intact. The only downside is that you will generally need to meet someone in the middle during a negotiation. We don’t always like that! 

Numerous stories in the Bible show personalities clashing, misunderstandings occurring, tempers causing pain, and suicidal quests for control. Take time to read the Bible as a real-life guide to handling relationship problems. The ‘commotion of emotion’ relationship problems people had in biblical times are no different from the ones we encounter today.

Winning the argument, staying in political or personal power, and proving your point at whatever cost become more critical ‘steaks’ than the relationship, the vision, or the mission. This is the situation in many countries, communities, and businesses today. Let’s be wise and learn that winning an argument or debate is not more important than losing a nation, community, or relationship. Don’t succumb to present impulsiveness by winning the battle but losing the war.

Who let the robber in? In most cases, just like the dogs, we did. 

Here's your takeaway: Just like Paul did at the beginning of this article, use your steak wisely, and don’t lose sight of the main objective as long as it’s pure, good, biblical, and legal.