Maybe We Are the Problem: Learning to Live in a House Full of Animals
Etched in the surface #004
Remember Charley? The beautiful stray we brought home back in March? Things were going really well until we realized she could not be alone with our little dogs. Thankfully everyone is ok, but we had to take a step back and rethink our decision. We even consulted with a professional dog trainer, who suggested we rehome her. We agreed that was the right thing to do, and we had a couple of people who were interested in taking her, but neither situation worked out.
We felt terrible. She is the sweetest, most calm dog we’ve ever had. But we couldn’t risk our other dogs’ lives. We realized how ignorantly we’d walked into this situation and the wrong assumptions we’d made about what Charley would need in order to successfully adjust to life in our home. After all, as my oldest son said, we don’t know what she went through while she was roaming out on her own. She likely had to kill small animals to survive, and the threat of coyotes is very real in our area.
God only knows what she went through. She must have been so scared.
Of course she was in survival mode. Of course she was easily triggered by the high-pitched barking of our little dogs who have zero self-awareness or healthy fear of bigger dogs.
Charley wasn’t the problem. We were. We expected her to just magically adjust and know how to live in a family full of animals. That wasn’t fair.
You can’t be a Christian and…insert pet sin here.
We’ve all heard it, and most likely said it at some point. Whatever the sin is, if we believe to be incompatible with the indwelling Holy Spirit, we construct a box in which every person must fit if we are going to trust they are saved.
Well.
I surrendered to Jesus at 21 and I clearly remember being a brand new believer. I naively thought becoming a Christian would make living right easier…so imagine my surprise when my entrance into the Kingdom of God didn’t come with instant behavioral perfection. I was a work in progress, beloved and made new, but I didn’t suddenly become Mother Theresa and lose all taste for the things of the world. It took time. And, more than thirty years later, God is still working on me.
Meeting Jesus is only the beginning of a lifelong process of healing and restoration. Sometimes he does miraculous things like instantly delivering someone from addiction. But, more often than not, we continue to wrestle with temptation even when we truly want to follow Christ. The flesh is still fleshy, and some sinful hangups are more stubborn than others. Ask me how I know :)
So back to my original statement…let’s turn it into a question.
Can you ——— and be a Christian?
How about we fill in that blank: Can you SIN and be a Christian? Now, some say you can’t if it is a habitual sin. So Jesus only died for the once-in-a-while sins? I hold to a much higher Christology than that.
We all get excited when someone becomes a Christian, but how often do we stunt their growth and make it impossible for them to learn to live in God’s family because we expect them to suddenly know how to walk, talk, act, and dress like we think a Christian should?
We don’t have patience for their process.
But God does.
As we searched for the right person to take Charley in, we fell into a rhythm with her and the other dogs. We thought teaching her to not kill her siblings (I’M JOKING. Well, sort of.) would be difficult if not impossible, but we began to notice her body language and recognize her triggers. We dealt with the behavior of our other dogs, especially a certain 13-pound male who shall remain nameless, not allowing them to instigate rough play or bark in her face. She is never alone with them, and when we allow them all to be together it is to quietly relax, each pup in their own space. She is coexisting peacefully with them, even wagging her tail when they approach her. We are working on obedience training daily, and through all this diligent work, the hyper-vigilant attention that is necessary with a dog who had been abandoned and left to fend for herself, she has attached to us…and we have attached to her.
We decided Charley is worth the work because she is a good dog. She is a loving and faithful companion who needed us to understand what she didn’t know so we could provide the safe environment she deserves. The little dogs are learning, too. Even the aforementioned male butt-head.
Charley is home, and she isn’t going anywhere.
What about repentance?
To repent means to change your way of thinking, to come into agreement with God. It is a necessary part of our spiritual formation. Disobedience has consequences, but if you’ve believed you can’t be a Christian because of a specific sin or lifestyle, please know that could not be farther from the truth. God already loves you and nothing can change that. But you need to know He will not leave you as you are. He will teach you how to love and live in his family as he heals the scars that once marred the beautiful person he created. That will likely mean letting go of some things that, right now, you don’t think are a big deal or can’t imagine living without. I get it. But I also know the life he has waiting for you will be worth it.
This is where the church can step in and be your ally. Our job is not to control, but to model the love and grace of God as revealed in his son, Jesus.
In my early days of knowing Jesus, the Christians in my life were gentle as I learned what it meant to be a living sacrifice. They forged true connections with me, giving them the relational capital needed to speak the truth in love and help me to discern right and wrong. Their patience, and their unconditional love, made me feel safe and gave me space to learn.
But, too often, his kids are jerks (like my male dog) but He is a good father who is in the business of teaching us ALL how to love and live as family. Sometimes we do it well, sometimes, in our arrogance and pride, we hurt those who are struggling and push them away. But Love is patient and kind, not rude or self-seeking (I don’t like when you do that because it makes me uncomfortable.), or irritable because someone’s growth trajectory has forced us to confront our own prejudices and flaws. I could go on, but I think you can see the point Paul makes in 1 Corinthians 13.
To come alongside those who are new to faith and learning what this whole Jesus thing is supposed to look like takes humility, patience, and honesty about our own wounds and our own past. It means taking off the hat of judgement and intentionally staying out of God’s way as he works in their lives.
It means, with the help of the Holy Spirit, obeying the greatest commandments…
One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
There is no commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:28-31(NIV)
What we behold–what we intentionally gaze at and consume–is what we become. As God’s beloved children, we have endless choices before us. But sometimes…in fact, often…the best choice is to step away. Turn it all off. Go outside and let your bare feet sink into the bright green grass as the sun warms your skin and the wind blows through your hair.
Be still…and listen.
No matter what you are walking through today, no matter how hard or scary things may be, you are never alone. Your Father loves you endlessly. He holds you and those you love safe.
Forever.
Before cell phones robbed the attentions spans of children, we spent school recess outside, running and exploring the grassy spaces surrounding the (metal!) slides and swings. The playground of my elementary school backed up to a sprawling wheat field, and along the edge of the field, dandelions sprang up and practically begged us to pick them. With the sweetness of wheat berries still on our tongues, we braided the dandelion stems together to make beautiful flower crowns.
Candlelight in the darkness is a needed reminder that light always wins.
I’m currently reading Becoming by Michelle Obama. So far, it is incredibly inspirational and I’m so glad I took it off my TBR shelf where it has sat for years!
Dogs with the zoomies. Every single night. They are crazy!
Jess Ray’s new album, Mama. So beautiful. You need this in your life.
The Lectio 365 Prayer app. My morning guide that truly helps me settle in before opening my Bible.
Crape Myrtles in full bloom. Just gorgeous!
“When I see the way God’s love pursues and overcomes, I glimpse the most powerful force in all of creation, the greatest of all that remains in a world in which most things pass away.”
-Tyler Staton on the Lectio365 June 17, 2026 devotional
I love seeing Jeanine's heart for the broken and hurting in this piece. What a hopeful picture she paints of the true family of God.