What Eight Pitbulls Taught Me About Following Jesus Daily
The Classroom I Never Expected
If you walked into my Arizona home on any given morning, you'd immediately understand why I need a rotation system. Eight pitbulls - five energetic two-year-olds, their parents, and my wise ten-year-old senior - can't all be loose in the house simultaneously. My days are a carefully choreographed dance of crates, gates, and making sure everyone gets attention while I run Abiding Paws, creating embroidered gear for men of bold faith.
It's loud, chaotic, and honestly? It's been the most effective discipleship program I've ever experienced.
As I spend my days digitizing designs and stitching identity into fabric for Christian men who love their dogs and the outdoors, I get to observe these animals constantly. The longer I watch them, the more I realize my pitbulls naturally demonstrate qualities every single day that Scripture commands of us - and that most of us struggle to live out consistently.
Here are five things my dogs do that put my spiritual maturity to shame:
1. They Show Up with Relentless Enthusiasm
When I rotate my two-year-olds out for their house time, it doesn't matter if they just saw me two hours ago during the last swap. The reaction is pure explosion of joy - whole body wiggles, zero chill, complete unguarded excitement to see me.
They don't check my performance record from yesterday. They don't hold back affection because I was distracted or stressed. They just show up, every single time, ready to love me completely.
Lamentations 3:22-23 tells us God's mercies areย "new every morning; great is your faithfulness."ย Not recycled from yesterday with accumulated interest. Fresh. Unaffected by our track record.
The men I design for are building something real - families, businesses, legacies of faith. That requires showing up with the same dedication on Tuesday as on Sunday, when you feel it and when you don't. Your dog models that consistency every morning whether you notice it or not.
2. They Forgive Immediately and Completely
Managing eight dogs in rotation means accidents happen. I've stepped on paws while carrying boxes of blank hats, bumped noses opening doors, given corrections that were firmer than intended. You know how long a pitbull holds a grudge? About thirty seconds.
There's no scorekeeping. No subtle punishment. No cold shoulder treatment that lasts through lunch. Correction happens, forgiveness follows immediately, and we move forward.
Ephesians 4:32 commands us to forgiveย "as God in Christ forgave you."ย That forgiveness was immediate, complete, not contingent on our performance afterward. My dogs understand that concept better than most Christians I know.
What would it look like to forgive with the speed and completeness of a pitbull who's already forgotten what happened and is ready for the next adventure?
3. They Stay Loyal No Matter What
Pitbulls were bred for human loyalty - it's woven into their DNA. My parent dogs have a settled quality about their devotion that the younger ones are still developing. They don't need constant reassurance or perfect conditions to maintain their commitment. They're just present, consistently, in the way real loyalty always is.
Ruth 1:16 declares:ย "Where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge."ย That's not conditional loyalty dependent on circumstances staying comfortable. That's covenant loyalty - the kind that costs something and gives it freely anyway.
In a culture that encourages men to bail when marriage gets difficult or responsibilities feel heavy, this quality of loyalty is increasingly rare. The Steward - the man I design for - is called to that same quiet, daily, unglamorous faithfulness that shows up especially when it's inconvenient.
4. They Rest Without Guilt
Right now it's over 100 degrees outside in the Arizona desert. We're not hitting trails - we're surviving the heat. My ten-year-old senior dog is the absolute master of this season. When she finds her spot by the AC vent, she goes completely, professionally unconscious. No performance anxiety about whether she's earned this rest.
Psalm 23:2 says Godย "makes me lie down in green pastures."ย The language is instructive - He makes us. Sometimes rest requires divine intervention because we've confused busyness with faithfulness and exhaustion with dedication.
Rest isn't laziness. Rest is obedience. It's the physical act of trusting that God is working while you are still. Your senior dog understands this better than you do.
5. They Love Embarrassingly and Without Reservation
My dogs love out loud. They love publicly, enthusiastically, without any concern for how it looks or whether it's socially appropriate. They announce their affection to everyone within a three-block radius and are completely unbothered by the reaction.
1 John 4:19 saysย "we love because he first loved us."ย The cross wasn't a private transaction. God's love for us was public, costly, completely unashamed. Yet most of us love our families, our God, and yes, our dogs, with one eye on who's watching and one hand on the volume control.
The men I create gear for are often the strongest, most capable guys in the room. Sometimes those are exactly the men who need the reminder that loving well - loudly, generously, without reservation - isn't weakness. It's the most Christlike thing you can do.
The Steward's Challenge
These five qualities - consistent enthusiasm, immediate forgiveness, unwavering loyalty, guilt-free rest, and embarrassing love - aren't just nice dog traits. They're the character qualities Scripture calls us to develop. The gap between where we are and where we're called to be might be smaller than we think.
Maybe the teacher we needed has been sleeping at the foot of the bed this whole time.
Want to go deeper?ย This week'sย Abiding Trails Podcastย episode explores each of these five qualities in detail with practical application for the man building something real.
[Listen to the Full Episode โ]
And if you're looking for gear that represents the man you're becoming - consistent, forgiving, loyal, restful, and unashamedly loving - check out theย American Bully Flag Teeย and other pieces designed for men who don't separate their faith from their identity.