“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” - James 1:22 (NIV)
I was stretched out on the porch the other morning when I caught myself watching my people rush around.
Bibles in hand, coffee in the other, lips full of “Amen,” and hearts moving faster than their feet could keep up with.
Now, dogs are simple theologians.
We don’t parse Greek verbs or argue about doctrines.
We just watch where the pawprints lead.
And we know a thing or two about living what you say we believe.
You can tell me you love me all day long, but if you forget to feed me, walk me, or scratch behind my ears, those words don’t mean much to a hungry hound.
I think faith is a lot like that.
I’ve seen folks say they trust God the way I trust my human — but then they pace, worry, and wear out the carpet like I used to when I was a pup.
Trust, for a dog, means lying down even when you don’t see the bowl yet, because you know it’s coming.
It means staying close when the thunder rolls, believing the hand that steadies you.
Living what we say we believe isn’t complicated.
It’s obedience with joy.
It’s kindness that doesn’t need applause.
It’s generosity that doesn’t need a spotlight.
It’s loving folks who smell funny to us — the way God loves this old dog even if I track mud across my human’s floor.
I don’t just bark about loyalty.
I live it.
I follow.
I stay.
I guard.
I wait.
I wag.
And if a dog can do that, surely God’s people can too.
Because faith isn’t just what we say with our mouths — it’s how we walk, and act, and react and live out loud.
Or in dog terms:
Don’t just bark about it - live it.
Keep the Faith… Carpe Diem
