Sanctification by Pitbull: When God Uses Dogs to Grow Your Patience

Ever specifically ask God for patience and then wonder what you were thinking?

Yeah, me too. His response was to send me eight pitbulls.

In this episode of Abiding Trails, we're getting honest about the hilarious, humbling, sanctifying reality of what it actually looks like to steward powerful dogs while trying to grow in your faith. Because James 1:2-4 says "trials of various kinds" produce steadfastness—but nobody tells you that sometimes those trials have blocky heads, selective hearing, and zero respect for your morning coffee.

What we cover in this episode: • Why everyday chaos with your dogs counts as biblical "trials of various kinds" • The trail story that completely humbled me and changed how I handle frustration
• Three practical ways to build steadfastness without losing your mind • Why laughing at the beautiful chaos is actually a biblical response • A brand new direction for Abiding Paws that's been on my heart for months

We talk serious stewardship on this show, but sometimes you just have to laugh at the reality that God uses stubborn dogs and 6am zoomies to sanctify us in ways we never expected.

RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:

👕 NEW HUMOR TEE: "I Asked God for Patience. He Sent Me a Pitbull" - $30
Embroidered in my shop for men who know exactly how much daily grace dog ownership takes.
→ I Asked God for Patience He Sent Me a Pitbull – Christian Dog Mom Dad Tee – Abiding Paws

📺 ABIDING PAWS YOUTUBE: Behind-the-scenes of this week's gear launch
→ https://www.youtube.com/@AbidingPaws

🌐 SHOP ALL GEAR: abidingpaws.com

CONNECT WITH THE PACK:
Instagram: @abidingpaws
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/abidingpaws

If this made you laugh while it encouraged you, share it with that one buddy who definitely needs the patience shirt. You know exactly who he is.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey everyone, welcome back to Abiding Trails. Really glad you're here with me today, wherever you're listening from, whether that's your morning commute, a walk with your dog, or maybe you're out on the trail right now. I'm not a pastor, I'm not a theologian, I'm just someone who loves Jesus, loves the outdoors, and somehow ended up responsible for eight pit bulls who have collectively decided that my sanctification is their personal mission. And I mean that literally. Because here's the thing. This morning, while I was getting ready to record an episode about patience and growth, Titan decided it was perfect time for zoomies in the house. Not outside, where there's room, inside, at full speed. Now, if you don't know what zoomies look like in a full-grown pit bull, let me paint you a picture. It's approximately 65 pounds of pure muscle running at maximum speed in random directions with zero regard for anything in the environment, including your coffee, your carefully prepared podcast notes, or your sanity. So I'm standing there watching this chaos unfold, coffee everywhere, and I felt that familiar thing rising up in me. You know the one. That thing that is the exact opposite of what the fruit of the spirit is. And then I thought, you know what? This is exactly what I need to talk about today. Because I think a lot of us asked God for patience at some point. Maybe you prayed for it specifically. Maybe you just mentioned it casually like it wasn't a big deal. And then God, in his infinite wisdom and what I can only describe as a very specific sense of humor, said, Great, here's eight pit bulls. Let's see how that patience develops. Today we're talking about sanctification by pit bull. When God uses your dogs, specifically your chaos creating, boundary testing, couch settled stealing dogs to grow the patience you asked him for. Let's walk this trail together. James 1, 2 through 4 says, Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness, and let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Now I want to slow down on something here because I think we often read trials of various kinds and immediately go to the heavy stuff. Job loss, health crisis, relationship breakdown, the big things. And yes, absolutely, God works through all of that. But I want to suggest something today. Trials of various kinds also include the daily, repetitive, unglamorous chaos of managing powerful animals God has entrusted to your care. It includes the morning your dog digs under the fence right before you have to be on a work call. It includes the training session that goes completely sideways because your dog has apparently forgotten everything you've worked on for six months. It includes managing eight pit bulls in structured groups every single day, feeding routines, rotations, monitoring dynamics. When some days you'd just really like to sit down and drink your coffee while it's still hot. That's trials of various kinds. And here's what James says happens in those moments. The testing of your faith produces steadfastness. Not immediately, not overnight, not after one really good training session. It produces steadfastness through repetition, through showing up when you don't feel like it, through choosing patience when your natural reaction is frustration, through maintaining structure when chaos is literally running circles around you. Your dogs aren't interrupting your sanctification. They are your sanctification. Let me take this outside for a minute, because you know we can't stay indoors on this show. I want to tell you about a hiking experience that humbled me completely. We were on a decent trail, nothing extreme, but enough to require some focus and discipline from both me and the dog I had with me at the day at the time. And I had this picture in my head of what it was going to look like. Peaceful, purposeful. One of those moments where you feel like you've got this whole stewardship thing figured out. And then reality showed up. The dog found a scent about 200 yards in and completely checked out of every command I gave. We're talking selective hearing at a championship level. I'm saying heal and getting absolutely nothing. I'm saying leave it and getting a look that I can only describe as philosophical disagreement. And I felt my patience starting to crack. Right there on a beautiful trail, surrounded by creation, with a dog that God specifically entrusted to my care. I felt frustration rising up because things weren't going the way I'd planned. And that's when it hit me. This is exactly what James was talking about. The testing of your faith doesn't happen in the easy moments. It happens when you're 200 yards into a trail with a dog that decided your commands are optional. It happens when your plan meets reality and reality wins. And your response in that moment, whether you choose patience and consistency or frustration and force. That's where steadfastness is, either built or broken. I took a breath, went back to the basics, reset the structure, started again. And you know what? By the time we hit the halfway point, we had a completely different hike than the one that had started badly. Not because the dog suddenly became perfect, but because I chose patience over frustration and consistency over giving up. That's sanctification on the trail. Quick pause here before we keep going. We talk a lot about serious stewardship on this show, and I mean every word of it. But if we're being completely honest, and I think that's what this show is about, sometimes you just have to laugh at the beautiful chaos that comes with loving these dogs and trying to grow in your faith at the same time. I was thinking about this the other day while managing our pack, and I realized something that made me laugh out loud. I specifically asked God for patience this past year. He sent me eight pit bulls. So I made a shirt about it. It says, I asked God for patience. He sent me a pit bull. If you know, you know. I embroidered this for the guys who love their dogs deeply, take their faith seriously, and also understand exactly how much daily grace it takes to raise these animals faithfully. Because sometimes biblical stewardship is profound and theological. And sometimes it's surviving zoomies before your first cup of coffee. It's live on the site right now for $30. Grab one for yourself or that buddy who immediately came to mind when I said that. You know exactly who he is. Link is at the top of the show notes at abidingpause.com. Alright, now back to the trail. So let's make this practical. Because I don't want you to just nod along and then go back to reacting the same way you always have when your dog tests your patience, here are three specific things that have helped me in the daily sanctification process that is owning bully breeds. Number one, pause before you react. This sounds simple and it is absolutely not simple in practice. But the moment you feel that frustration is rising, whether it's on the trail, in the house, during a training session, take one deliberate breath and one quick prayer. It doesn't have to be profound. Mine is usually something like, Lord, help me respond faithfully right now instead of just reacting. That one second of pause is the difference between a training moment and a frustration spiral. And your dog can feel the difference immediately. Number two, use the chaos as training for both of you. Here is a perspective shift that changed everything for me. Chaotic moments aren't interruptions to your leadership practice. They are your leadership practice. When Titan tests the structure, that's not a problem to solve and move past. That's an opportunity to demonstrate consistent, patient leadership one more time. Every time you respond with patience and consistency, instead of frustration and force, you're building both your dog's trust and your own character. The chaos isn't in the way of your growth. The chaos is how your growth happens. Number three, laugh more and shame yourself less. This is the one thing I think a lot of faith-driven men need to hear most. You are not failing at stewardship because your dog drives you crazy sometimes. You are not failing at sanctification because you lost your patience on the trail last week. You are not a bad dog owner because your eight-pit bulls don't live in perfect harmony. Progress over perfection. Faithfulness over flawlessness, growth over image. God isn't looking for a highlight reel of your dog ownership. He's looking for a man who keeps showing up, keeps trying, keeps choosing patience even when he doesn't feel patient, and the absolute chaos that comes with the calling. Here's what I want to leave you with today. God didn't send you that dog to make your life easier. He sent you that dog to make you more faithful. Every morning you maintain the structure when you're tired. That's sanctification. Every trail where you choose patience over frustration, that's sanctification. Every time you make the hard call that protects your animals instead of the easy call that just makes the moment more comfortable, that is sanctification. James said, let steadfastness have its full effect that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Perfect and complete. That's the goal. Not a perfect dog, not a perfect household, not a perfect trail experience. Perfect and complete man who has been shaped by faithful, patient, consistent stewardship of everything God has placed in his care. Your dog is one of God's most effective tools for getting you there. And yes, sometimes that tool has zoomies at 6 a.m. and knocks over your coffee. Count it all joy. Thanks so much for walking this trail with me today. If this encouraged you or made you laugh while it encouraged you, share it with one man who needs to hear it. And if you haven't grabbed our free ebook yet, Faithful Companions, a Guide to Loving and Caring for Your Bully Breed, it's linked in the show notes. It's the practical foundation for everything we talk about here. New tea is live on the site right now. I asked God for patience, he sent me a pit bull. $30 at abidingpause.com. Links in the show notes as well. Next week, we're going to keep walking this trail together with more honest conversation about faith, dogs, and the outdoor life that ties it all together. Until then, keep abiding, keep laughing, and keep letting God use your dog to grow you in exactly the man he created you to be. See you on the trail.