Chipper stopped walking right in the middle of the trail.
I could tell right away that something was wrong because Chipper loves his walks.
“Come on, good boy,” I said in my sweetest, encouraging voice.
Chipper was NOT having that. He pulled backwards on his leash. I followed his line of sight and saw right away what he was looking at, the unfamiliar pond. We have walked this path many times, but never crossed over the pond as we were about to do this time.
I bent down and started scratching behind Chipper’s ears, one of his favorite spots. With the slight distraction, I told him again, “Come on, good boy. It’s okay. I’m right here with you. I won’t let anything happen to you. You’re safe.”
When I stood up to lead us across the small bridge this time, Chipper hesitantly took a step towards the bridge! When my foot stepped on the wooden plank first, I saw his eyes widen. “It’s okay. See, I’m on the bridge now, just follow me. I got you, good boy!”
Putting his first paw on the bridge, Chipper realized it was not that bad, and with every small step, he got more and more confident. At the end of the bridge, he was not only walking across all by himself, but his tail was wagging at his victory too!
As we walked across that bridge, I started to realize my walk with God was not so different. My hesitant steps across the scary, rickety bridges in my life can turn into confident, tail-wagging strides, as long as I let go and trust God to lead me across to the other side.
“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10 NLT)
With lots of faith and a little fur 🐾
Melanie Drews
Paws on God’s Path
Paws on God's Path 
Leave a comment