Dogs are good at noticing the junk.
Not just the leftover biscuit crumbs on the car floor or the muddy shoes piled by the back door.
I mean the other kind of junk.
The stuff folks drag home from work and carry around in their hearts.
My human came in one evening smelling like frustration.
He dropped into his chair with a sigh so heavy even I lifted my head off the rug.
“Man… I’m tired of all the junk.”
Now, I ain’t exactly sure what “junk” is, but judging by the sigh that came with it, I figured it wasn’t a good thing.
Now, I’ve learned a few things watching humans.
When tails stop wagging and smiles disappear, there’s usually some junk piled up somewhere.
Sometimes it’s worry.
Sometimes it’s anger.
Sometimes it’s hurt feelings from something somebody said or did at work.
Junk weighs heavy on humans… and they carry it different than dogs do.
That evening my human opened his old beat up Bible instead of picking up the TV clicker.
That caught my attention.
He read out loud:
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander…”
- Ephesians 4:31 NIV
Then he kept reading about kindness, compassion, and forgiveness.
I tilted my head.
Get rid of it?
Just like that?
Then he flipped over to Hebrews 12:1
“Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.”
Well now, that sounded familiar.
I once got tangled up in an old piece of wire chasing a rabbit.
Couldn’t run.
Couldn’t move right.
Couldn’t enjoy the chase because junk had wrapped itself around me.
And I couldn’t move.
I was stuck.
That’s exactly what bitterness and worry do to humans.
The junk from work.
The pressure.
The stress.
The endless noise of everyday life.
It all piles up until folks feel stuck and can barely run the race Jesus called them to run.
But here’s what I noticed next.
My human prayed.
Not fancy.
Just honest.
“Lord, help me leave the junk with You.”
And little by little, his shoulders relaxed.
His voice softened.
He even scratched behind my ears again.
You see… Jesus never asked us to carry the junk.
He asked us to lay it down.
Dogs understand this pretty well.
We don’t bury bones so we can dig them up every five minutes and worry over them.
We leave them buried.
Maybe that’s why Jesus told folks to come to Him with their burdens.
He knew junk slows people down.
My human works different when he remembers he’s working for Jesus instead of just working for people.
He talks softer.
Smiles easier.
Complains less.
Prays more.
The junk still shows up, but it doesn’t get to stay.
So if you’re dragging around anger, stress, resentment, or worry today, maybe it’s time to quit hauling it through the house…
And drop it at the feet of Jesus.
You’ll run lighter.
Sleep better.
And you might even notice the blessings sitting right next to you.
Or walking with you down the path.
Keep the Faith… Carpe Diem
