I was stretched out on my favorite spot on the rug this morning—the one that still smells like coffee and yesterday—when I did something I’m pretty good at doing.
I made a mess.
Mud on the floor, dirt on the couch, nose prints on the window.
I knew better.
I’ve been told before.
Still, there it was.
And do you know what my human did?
He sighed… and then he smiled. He grabbed a towel, cleaned things up, scratched me behind the ears, and said, “You’re something else, old dog.”
I stayed.
I didn’t run away.
I didn’t hide.
Because I know something deep in my dog bones—I’m loved anyway.
That’s how I think it is with Jesus…
The Bible says, “But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
Not after we cleaned ourselves up.
Not once we promised to do better.
Not when we finally got it right.
While we were still tracking mud through the living room of our lives, Jesus loved us anyway.
I don’t always understand why my human loves me.
I forget commands.
I bark at things that aren’t there.
I want what I want when I want it.
Yet every morning, the bowl is full.
Every evening, the door opens.
Every time I wander up to the backdoor, there’s a hand reaching down to welcome me home.
Jesus is like that—only infinitely better.
He knows every mess we’ve made.
Every failure we replay in our minds.
Every promise we broke before the words even cooled.
And still, He stays.
He doesn’t flinch when we come limping back.
He doesn’t shame us for the dirt on our paws.
He kneels low, takes our face in His hands, and says, “I love you... anyway.
I’ve learned something important in my long years of napping and watching…
Love like that changes you.
It doesn’t make me want to run away.
It makes me want to stay close.
It makes me want to listen better.
Follow more carefully.
Trust more deeply.
That’s what the love of Jesus does to us.
So if today you feel unworthy, tired, or ashamed—if you think you’ve messed up one too many times—take it from an old lazy dog.
Don’t run.
Don’t hide.
Just come back and lie down at His feet.
You are loved…
Still loved…
Always loved…
Anyway.
Keep the Faith… Carpe Diem
