Evil often spawns fear… but fear itself is not a failure. It is a wound that God will heal.
The swat team raided the crack house with swift efficiency. Even the seasoned officers didn’t expect what they found — a tuft of white trembling in the bushes. In a small cage that had been her entire world for five long years, a tiny dog huddled silently, bracing for a death she was sure was coming. Her terror was so deep that even the gentlest rescuer couldn’t reach her.
That precious dog became “Doodle,” and for the rest of her life she was held in our loving home.
And as “children” do — or in this case, furchildren — Doodle carried a lesson about her fear. A quiet, unexpected teaching about trust.
We often treat fear as a spiritual shortcoming. After all, Scripture says “Do not fear” so many times. It’s easy to imagine God being disappointed when we tremble.
But fear doesn’t provoke disappointment in God. Fear awakens His compassion.
When we brought home that dirty, frozen little pup, she was almost statue‑still — a tiny bundle you could mold into any position without resistance. She was terrified down to her bones.
So we cleaned her gently. We held her. We stretched her comfort zone inch by inch, coaxing her toward safety, toward trust.
And then came her first “zoomie.”
One day she simply let go — running full speed across the yard, her tiny frame flying in wild puppy‑whirls and loops. It was impossible not to throw back your head and laugh with delight at her pure joy in her first taste of freedom.
Dare to imagine that God does the same. That He laughs — full, bright, delighted — when you finally feel safe enough to run.
Trust is not demanded. It is received — like the soft weight of a dog who finally leans her whole body against you, believing you’ll never let her go.
So what is your little lean‑in of trust?
Maybe it’s the courage to speak God’s love to the cashier at Taco Bell. Maybe it’s reaching out to a friend or relative when reconciliation feels pointless… or maybe it will change everything.
Maybe it’s daring to expect respect when you’ve convinced yourself you don’t deserve it. Maybe it’s taking the first baby step toward a dream you’ve been afraid to touch.
Maybe — for the very first time — it’s believing that God is safe.
That the Lion of Judah sent a Lamb into the world so you wouldn’t be afraid.
A scruffy little dog came out of her trauma carrying a quiet message:
You are safe.
“Perfect Love casts out all fear” (1 John 4:18).
With love beyond measure,
Jesus
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