My human says I’ve got a good nose. I can smell bacon three rooms away, a rabbit from yesterday, and somehow know when a thunderstorm is thinking about showing up.
But even with a nose like mine, there are things I can’t sniff out.
Like this thing my human was reading about one morning in that worn Bible of his. I was lying at his feet listening with one ear up, when he read, “Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God”
- John 3:3
Now I tilted my head at that.
Born… again?
I know a little about new beginnings.
I’ve seen mornings come fresh after dark nights.
I’ve watched old dead-looking fields turn green after rain.
I’ve rolled in mud and come out of the bath—well… clean.
But my human said Jesus wasn’t talking about a second puppyhood.
He was talking about a new heart.
That got my tail thumping.
You see, I know about old natures.
Mine says chase squirrels, beg for snacks, and pretend I didn’t hear “drop it.”
My old dog ways can be stubborn.
Seems humans have an old nature too.
Sin, my human called it.
But then he read from 2 Corinthians 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”
New creation!
That sounds better than a fresh tennis ball.
My human said being born again is when God does what we can’t do for ourselves.
Not just teaching old dogs new tricks—but making us new from the inside out.
That reminded me of when I was a stray pup.
Hungry.
Dirty.
Wandering.
Then my human took me in.
I didn’t rescue me.
He did.
Sounds a lot like grace.
Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3 that being born again comes by the Spirit, not by trying harder or polishing up our collars…. but it is God breathing life where there wasn’t any.
Like when dry bones lived in Ezekiel 37.
Like when dead hearts wake up.
Like when a sinner trusts Jesus and becomes “family”.
I’ve noticed something too.
When I was brought home, I still looked like the same dog the next day.
Same paws.
Same ears.
Same crooked tail.
But I had a new master.
New home.
New name.
New life.
Being born again doesn’t mean a believer never stumbles.
I still chase a squirrel now and then.
But I belong to my human.
And those born of Christ belong to Him.
My human smiled and scratched my ears and read 1 Peter 1:23 about being “born again… through the living and abiding word of God.”
I may just be a dog…
But from down here on the porch floor, I’ve learned this:
Religion can teach a dog to sit…
But only Jesus can make dead hearts live.
And if the Lord can make all things new—even old strays can come home.
That’s enough to make an old dog smile.
Lord, thank You for the miracle of new birth through Christ.
Teach us to live like one made new.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Keep the Faith… Carpe Diem
