7 Wonderful Ways Dogs Can Teach Us to Walk with Christ

Anyone who’s owned a dog and has bonded with them knows there’s nothing like having a good dog in your life. But did you know there’s a lot we can learn from our puppy pals about how we should approach our walk with Christ? In this article, we’re going to explore 7 wonderful ways dogs can teach us to grow closer to the Lord, establish our walk, and be better Christians.

And be sure to check out the following helpful articles as well: How to Read the Bible Daily: 5 Tips, Who God is Can Be Found Boldly in Psalm 103, and Listen to the Broken to Blessed Addiction Podcast + More

Broken to Blessed and the dog link

If you’ve surfed around this website a bit, you may have noticed a reoccurring theme: dogs.

I admit, there’s dogs everywhere; dogs on the homepage, dogs on my membership page, dogs on blogs. Dogs upon dogs upon dogs. But, why?

The answer is simple. You see, when I started to really think about developing Broken to Blessed a few years ago, I was trying to think of what would be the best representation of that transformation— going from feeling completely broken to fully blessed. And after praying and reading my Bible and praying again, one day I stumbled across a picture of a dog.

It was a little black pug. You can see it on my first post.

In the moment, I’m not sure what struck me about the pug. Perhaps it was his sad, squishy face. Or maybe it was the vulnerability in his eyes. Regardless, it got me thinking.

Dogs are the perfect role models for how our relationship ought to be with the Lord. Because when you break it down, a really good dog embodies quality character traits; ones that we should admire and strive for as well.

Don’t believe me? Check out the 7 ways dogs can teach us to walk with Christ below.

How dogs can teach us to walk with Christ

When it comes to our walk with Christ, we need to embody these 7 character traits/actions of a good dog.

1. Loyalty. Often when people think of dogs, one of the first things that comes to mind is loyalty. Dogs will be faithful to you as the number one authority. We need to do this with Christ. We need to be loyal to Him, above anyone else.
2. Obedience. A good dog will obey his master. Not only will he obey, but he’ll also look for ways he can please. Likewise, we need to obey the Lord and his commandments that He lays out for us in the Bible.
3. Focus. Have you ever seen the extreme focus that dogs have when they want something? Think of every time you make a ham sandwich, with your dog eyeing your every move (praying you drop a piece). This is the kind of focus we need to have with Christ. Our focal point needs to be Him, by being in His word and following His every move.
4. Loving. There’s nothing like getting cuddles and love from your best puppy pal. For many of us, we are the center of the universe for our dogs. God wants us to have a relationship with Him, but with an even better bond. Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love the Lord with all your heart, and soul, and mind. Let us love the Lord, in the same way (if not more) than our dogs love us.
5. Serving. Think working dogs here. A good service dog’s entire existence revolves around his owner, 24/7. We ought to be serving our Lord in the same way, giving our all to bring His glory to others. Everyone has a ministry they can serve. What is yours?
6. Humble. Dogs can be extremely humble when they mess up, often putting their tail in between their legs. Similarly, we need to practice meekness. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5-6).
7. Devoted. A dog that’s devoted is your best friend. He’ll stick up for you and stick by you when you need him the most. In the same way, we need to stand up for Christ. We need to show our deep commitment to Him out of love and respect.

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Final thoughts

Question: how do you treat a dog that is loyal, obedient, focused, loving, serving, humble, and devoted to you?

The answer: You love them, provide for them, take care of them, and cherish them. By embodying the 7 character traits/actions listed above, we can show Christ how much we care about Him. Here’s the thing though– while our love is conditional with our dogs, the Lord’s love is unconditional. Even when we mess up, even when we’re being a “bad dog,” He still loves us anyway.

Isn’t that awesome?

Truly, a good dog will follow his master. Are we following ours?

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