I’m just a dog.
An old one, at that.
I nap a lot.
I limp a little.
And if I’m honest, I still chase things I ought to know better than to chase.
There’s a sign I’ve seen nailed up around town from time to time:
“Under Construction. Pardon the Mess.”
That sign could hang off of my collar.
Paul wrote it this way:
“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
- Philippians 1:6 (NIV)
Notice what Paul didn’t say:
He didn’t say the work would be quick.
He didn’t say it would be quiet.
He didn’t say it would be painless.
He just said God started it—and God will finish it.
God isn’t finished with me yet.
Not with you either.
Some days I feel like a finished product.
Tail wagging.
Ears perked.
Faith strong.
Other days… well…
I bark and growl when I shouldn’t.
I get distracted by squirrels.
I track mud back onto the clean floor my human just mopped.
And that’s when the old Accuser likes to whisper,
“You ought to be further along by now.”
But Philippians 1:6 doesn’t say God started a good work and then lost interest.
It doesn’t say He began and then stepped away shaking His head.
It says He will carry it on.
That tells this old dog something comforting:
The mess doesn’t mean abandonment.
The noise doesn’t mean failure.
The scaffolding doesn’t mean collapse.
It means construction.
Nobody renovates a building they plan to abandon.
God builds like a Master Craftsman, not a handyman in a hurry.
He tears down rotten beams.
He reinforces weak places.
He takes His time because He’s planning for something that lasts.
Sometimes I wish He’d hurry up.
I’d like fewer rough edges.
Less barking.
More obedience on the first call.
But I’ve learned something from laying in the sun and watching life go by:
Rushed work doesn’t hold up long.
So when you feel unfinished—
When the dust is still in the air—
When the hammer keeps hitting the same spot in your life—
Take heart.
If God’s still working, He’s not done loving you.
If there’s still chiseling, there’s still purpose.
If you’re “under construction,” it means you’re still in His hands.
You’re not a lost cause.
You’re not a failed project.
You’re under construction.
This old dog is learning to rest right there.
On the job site.
Amid the noise.
Trusting the Builder knows exactly what He’s doing.
And God always finishes what He starts.
Now that’s worth a joyful bark.
Keep the Faith… Carpe Diem
