Five Things My Pitbulls Do That My Bible Says I Should Do Too

Managing eight pitbulls - five two-year-olds, their parents, and my ten-year-old senior - has taught me more about discipleship than most sermons. 

In this episode, I share five specific things my dogs do every single day that Scripture commands us to do. I'm Chasity, founder of Abiding Paws, where I create embroidered gear for men of bold faith who love their dogs and the outdoors. 

Today, we're looking at what these incredible animals can teach us about walking with God.

RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:

👕 NEW TEE: "I Asked God for Patience. He Sent Me a Pitbull." - $30
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If this made you laugh while it challenged you, share it with a fellow Steward whose dog is currently winning the leadership battle. You know exactly who that is.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome back to the Abiding Trails Podcast. I'm Chassity, the founder of Abiding Pause, where I create embroidered gear for men of bold faith who love their dogs and hit the trail every chance they get. If you've been around my brand for any time, you know my reality. I live with eight pit bulls, which you may hear one of them in the background now. But I have a 10-year-old senior, which is the one barking currently, who's been my teacher longer than I care to admit, a mama and daddy dog at five years old, and five absolutely wild two-year-olds. Because of the pack dynamic, they can't all be together at once. So my daily life is a constant rotation of doors, walls, gates, and careful management. And here's what spending your life surrounded by bully breeds teaches you. These dogs will preach better sermons than most podcasts if you pay attention. Today I want to walk through five things my pit bulls do that my Bible says we should do too. These aren't just cute dog traits, these are discipleship traits that I watch lived out every single day infer. Point one, show up with the same enthusiasm every single day. When I rotate my two-year-olds out for their turn, it doesn't matter if they just saw me an hour ago during the last rotation. It's pure explosion of joy, zero chill, complete unguarded excitement to see me every single time. Lamentations 3, 22 to 23 says, the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. New every morning, not when we've earned it, not when our quiet time has been consistent, every morning. My dogs model that better than most Christians do. For the men I design for, the steward, the man who follows Jesus boldly, loves his bully breed embarrassingly, and hits the trail with both, shows up for his family, his faith, and his responsibilities with that same steady enthusiasm. Not perfect, but consistent. Not flaky, but reliable. Managing eight dogs means accidents happen. I step on paws, I bump noses, sometimes corrections are firmer than I actually intended them to be. You know how long they hold it against me? About three seconds. Then they're back asking for affection. Ephesians 4 32 says, Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. My dogs forgive faster than I forgive the guy who cuts me off in traffic. What would it look like if the men listening forgave their buddies, their wives, their brothers in Christ with that same immediate grace? Stay loyal no matter what. Pit bulls are bred for loyalty. It's in their DNA. My daddy dog shadows my husband through the house, not anxiously, just with this quiet, steady awareness of where he is. Ruth 116 says, Where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. As a woman watching the culture try to pull men away from their commitments, I see how rare this quality is becoming. But the men who wear my gear, they stay loyal to their wives when marriage feels like work, to their kids when parenting is hard, to their God when faith feels difficult. Rest without guilt. My senior dog is the master of this. When he's done, he finds his spot and is completely professionally unconscious. No performance anxiety about whether he's earned this rest. Psalm 23,2 says, He makes me lie down in green pastures. Sometimes God has to force us to rest because we've forgotten how. Your dog knows work hard, then rest completely. For the men listening, taking Sabbath, putting down your phone, resting with your dog and your family, that's obedience, not laziness. Love embarrassingly and without reservation. My dogs have zero concept of playing it cool when they love. They love out loud. Full body wiggles, complete invasion of personal space, announcing my presence to everyone. Jesus didn't love us privately. The cross was very public. Men, don't be afraid to love your family, worship your God, and yes, show affection to your dog in ways that might look embarrassing to the world. Living with these eight dogs daily is exactly what inspired one of my favorite pieces of the Biding Paws. It's an embroidered T that simply says, I asked God for patience, He sent me a pit bull. If you've ever tried to manage a stubborn bully breed, or in my case, eight of them in rotation, you know exactly what that shirt means. It's funny, but it's also a testimony. God is growing patience, presence, and stewardship in you through that dog. Check the link in the show notes. Here's my challenge for you this week. Pick one of these five qualities this week. Watch your dog live it out because they will, probably within 20 minutes of finishing this episode. Ask God to grow that same quality in you. This is Abiding Trails. I'm Chastity from Abiding Pause. Walk faithfully, love deeply, and steward what God puts in your hands fur, chaos, and all.