I like knowing where we’re going.
Don’t get me wrong—I’m not trying to be the boss.
I just feel better when the leash is short and the path is familiar.
New smells are fine, as long as they’re the same new smells I sniff every day.
Control keeps a dog comfortable.
But I’ve learned something from watching my human.
We trust God—right up until things get uncertain.
We trust God—right up until He starts steering somewhere we wouldn’t choose.
We trust God—right up until control slips through our fingers.
“Trust in the Lord with all your hear and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
- Proverbs 3:5–6 (NIV)
Now, I don’t understand much about paths being straight.
I mostly understand food bowls, warm porches, and which squirrels are personal enemies.
But I do understand trust.
When I pull on the leash, I’m certain I know where I want to go.
There’s a yard I’ve passed a hundred times, and I know something interesting is over there.
I lean hard.
Dig in my paws.
Tug like it matters.
But my human sees things I don’t.
Cars I can’t hear yet.
Fences I can’t climb.
Roads that look fun until they’re dangerous.
Most of the time, when I pull, it’s not because I’m brave—it’s because I don’t know any better.
Funny thing is, people aren’t much different.
They tug at life the same way.
Pull hard.
Lean on what they think they understand.
Drag themselves tired trying to control where the walk goes.
And all the while, God’s hand is steady.
Not yanking.
Not angry.
Just firm.
Patient.
Waiting for trust to replace the pulling.
Submission isn’t about being weak.
It’s about knowing who’s holding the leash.
When I finally stop fighting it—when I walk close, not because I’m forced but because I trust—the walk gets easier.
Straighter.
Calmer.
I still get where I’m supposed to go.
Usually someplace better than I planned.
So maybe faith looks a little like this:
Less pulling.
More staying close.
More trusting the hand you can’t see but have learned to depend on.
Because the truth is, I was never meant to lead the walk.
I was meant to follow.
And that’s not a loss at all.
That’s home.
Keep the Faith… Carpe Diem
