Why I Let My Dogs Sleep in the Bed (And What God Said About It)

I have eight pitbulls. Obviously, they can't all sleep in the bed at once - I have a rotation system. But the ones who do have taught me profound lessons about rest, presence, and belonging. 

This episode starts with a confession about dog sleeping arrangements and ends with a deep dive into what it means to truly rest in God's presence.

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 Abiding Trails. I'm Chastity, founder of Abiding Paws, and I need to start with a confession. I let my dog sleep in the bed. Now, context matters. I have eight pit bulls, so no, I don't have eight 60-pound dogs in my bed simultaneously. That would be a situation, not a system. We have rotations, but despite every internet trainer's opinion about alpha behavior and ruining your dog, I share my sleeping space with them. And I'm completely at peace with it. Recently, during one of those 2 a.m. nights when my brain was spinning about business, orders, and life, God used one of my dogs to teach me something profound about rest and belonging. I was lying there stressed about abiding paws, orders to fulfill, designs to create, the weight of building something meaningful. Our senior dog that night just got up, walked over, pressed his full weight against me on my side, sighed that deep dog sigh, and went back to sleep. They didn't solve the business problems, they didn't have answers, they just offered presence. Psalm 23, 4 says, Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. The comfort isn't that God removes the valley, the comfort is his presence. You are with me. My dog was giving me a physical representation of what God does for us in the dark seasons. When you let a dog sleep in your bed, you're making a declaration about belonging. You're saying, this is my most personal space, and you belong here. Not just in the house, not just on the couch, here by me. My dogs don't sleep like guests who made who might get kicked out. They sprawl, they snore, they take up way more space than they should. Why? Because they know they belong. Ephesians 2.19 says, so then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. Members of the household, not visitors on probation. I design for a lot of men who know the gospel intellectually, but still live like guests in God's house, always wondering if they'll get kicked out if they mess up. But God is saying, You belong here. Get in the bed. Watch your dogs sleep. They go completely unconscious, no anxiety about tomorrow's food or whether you'll still love them in the morning. They rest completely, because their belonging is secure. Matthew 11, 28 to 29 says, Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Rest for your souls, for the part that carries the weight of providing, protecting, leading. You have to learn to rest like you belong to Him. Learning to rest and trust the process takes patience. And if you're managing a business and eight dogs like me, you need a sense of humor too. That's exactly why I created the I Asked God for patience. He sent me a pit bull tea. It's embroidered right here in my shop for those days when you need a reminder to breathe, laugh, and trust God with the beautiful chaos he's given you to steward. Grab yours at the link in the show notes. Let yourself rest like a man who belongs somewhere. Because in Christ you do. That was settled at the cross and hasn't changed since. This is Abiding Trails. I'm Chastity from Abiding Pause, and I'll see you on the trail.