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After my husband and I had been married for a year and a half, I was having doggy fever. Yes, I said doggy fever and not baby fever. Unlike most women, my passion and love for babies is minimal compared to my devotion and affection for dogs.
For weeks, I’d been searching local Facebook groups, animal shelters, and talking with potential rescues. Growing up, my family always had dogs, so getting one for my husband and me seemed like a good fit. After a few months, we stumbled across an adorable goldendoodle mix. He was almost 2 years old and came from a re-home situation. The only problem? He was significantly larger than we had anticipated.
Quickly, my husband and I went out on a whim and visited him. When we left, we both said, “Wow, that would be a lot of work to get him.” And yet, God began to do a work in us over the next week. After much deliberation, we adopted the 50-pound fluff ball.
From the beginning, the adoption process was rough. Our golden delight was sneaky and had 2 ER visits in one week. We were stressed, confused, and anxious. But today, nearly a year later, I can tell you we’re so blessed. Not only has our dog bonded with us, but he’s made us better. Nothing beats coming home to his goofy character and smiling face when you’ve had an exhausting, overwhelming, and emotionally draining day. He greets us with unconditional love, and like we’re the best thing in the world.
Nearly every day, I thank and praise God for my dog and dogs in general. It might seem silly, but having our now 70-pound ball of fluff has made me realize this: Sometimes, God’s gifts aren’t always loud or obvious. Sometimes, they come in the shape of a dog. And to me and many others, dogs are more than companions; they reflect small, profound truths about how God designed us to live.
Dogs Teach Us the Sacredness of Play
Unlike dogs, I think most of us have forgotten the sacredness of play. We don’t do it on purpose, but as we grow and assume “adult” responsibilities, we forget how to enjoy life. Thankfully, most dogs haven’t.
Dogs that belong to loving and caring homes play freely, fully, and without guilt. They aren’t consumed with productivity, pressure, or being “good enough.” Now granted, they don’t work full-time jobs or assume “adult” responsibilities, but they teach us something important about living life to the fullest.
As humans, we attach our worth to our productivity (I know I do). Habits like rest and play feel “earned” instead of essential to our overall well-being. But in Ecclesiastes 3:9-14, we see that we are to enjoy life. God didn’t create us to be machines that work endlessly without joy. If all we live for is work on this side of Heaven, we will be sadly disappointed.
“What do workers gain from their toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him” (Ecclesiastes 3:9-14, NIV)
Friends, God didn’t design us to live in a state of constant striving. And every time I see my dog push his butt into the air and wag his tail, I’m reminded of this. Play isn’t childish, but rather it’s restorative. It’s not optional, but essential to a life lived well.
Today, I’d ask you to ponder these two questions:
- Where have I stopped allowing joy in my life?
- What would it look like to embrace small, simple delight again?
Dogs Model Rhythms of Rest, Nourishment, and Presence
The second thing that dogs teach us about living is a healthy model of rest, nourishment, and presence. Ironically, dogs live in rhythms we resist, but desperately need. For example, my dog Oso eats when he’s hungry, rests when he’s tired, and is present in every moment. As humans (myself included), we ignore hunger cues, overwork ourselves to the point of exhaustion, endlessly scroll, and live distracted lives. We think we’re multitasking for the better when the reality is we’re living lives at a pace we were never meant to uphold.
In Psalm 23, we read that Christ “makes us lie down in green pastures.” While a traditionally common Psalm, I’m often reminded that most of us avoid doing what this Scripture actually says. God leads us into rest, but we often resist it. But rest isn’t laziness, friends, it’s obedience to one of the highest callings in our lives. When we avoid rest, we embrace chronic exhaustion, burnout, and anxiety—not the tradeoff we were looking for if you ask me.
Instead of avoiding the soul-nourishing things we need in this life, try asking yourself: “Where am I overriding my God-given limits?” Then, take a lesson from our furry friends and practice eating regularly, honoring rest, and being present in one moment today.