My human says something a lot around the house.
He says, “Live what you say you believe.”
Now I’m just a dog, but I think I know what that means.
You see, humans say a lot of things.
They talk about kindness.
They talk about patience.
They talk about forgiveness.
They talk about loving people.
But sometimes… they forget to walk what they bark.
Now dogs—we’re a little simpler.
If I trust my human, I follow him.
If I love my human, I stay close.
If I believe he’s good, I wag my tail when he calls.
I don’t just believe my human is good.
I live like it.
I’ve heard my human read something from the Bible that sounds a lot like that. It says:
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
That’s from James 1:22.
Seems pretty straightforward to an old lazy dog.
If you say you believe in kindness…
Be kind.
If you say you believe in grace…
Give some.
If you say you believe Jesus forgives…
Then loosen the leash on the grudges you’ve been dragging around the yard.
Because believing something in your head isn’t quite the same as letting it walk around in your life.
Now I’ll admit, I don’t understand everything about theology.
I still chase squirrels that clearly have no intention of being caught.
But I do know this:
If I trust my human, I walk where he leads.
And my human says that’s what following Jesus looks like too.
Not just talking about Him on Sunday.
Not just nodding along during the sermon.
But walking with Him on Monday.
And Tuesday.
And Wednesday when the neighbor’s dog is barking again.
Living what you say you believe.
An old dog might put it this way:
If Jesus is really your Shepherd…
you probably ought to be found somewhere behind Him on the trail.
And if you listen closely, you might just hear Him calling.
Now if you’ll excuse me, my human just stood up from his chair.
And where he goes…
Well…
That’s where I’m going too.
Keep the Faith… Carpe Diem
