Puppy Faith

Today I took a walk in the woods. It's where my prayer life first took root not so long ago, and today I returned to my roots. It was a beautiful experience. My dog decided to follow me. She was outside and upon spotting me heading to the woods, she came running to join me. She did not know where I was going or what I was doing, but she trusted that I, her master, was going to guide her and keep her safe. She strayed from my particular path, but stayed within close range. She also kept circling back around to make sure I was still present. After checking in on me, she would continue wandering in curiosity. I was not exactly sure where I was going when I took off on this walk. I grabbed my rosary and took off. I ended up finding a spot similar to the one where I sat when I first started my relationship with Christ. Therefore, I took a seat, finished my rosary sitting in that spot, and then continued to pray after finishing the rosary. All the while, my dog remained close by. She would wander off, but all the while, I could still hear her and see her. She would continue to check in with me, making sure I was still present, as she continued her own adventure.

We are all familiar with the phrase "child-like faith"; it's a well-known trait of St. Therese. Throughout my walk, the dog had faith in me that I was guiding her and keeping her safe. This dog represents us, as children of Christ. The dog places full trust in its master. Children place full trust in their parents to care for them and protect them; they know no better. We are supposed to mimic this faith. We are called to look to Christ as our master, and trust that he will protect us and we will care for us. We are to continue coming back to him, seeking his direction, and following him.

Today, I was reading my friend's website and in a letter, he made this statement that really stood out to me - "The Lord has been challenging me to follow after Him even though I have been less than sure about my direction. He has been asking me to follow without seeing the destination, instead calling me to simply walk in his footsteps knowing He is my shepherd"(Jake Stuermer)

What stood out to me from this statement was the line "instead calling me to simply walk in his footsteps, knowing He is my shepherd" because this is what we are all called to do. Christ is our shepherd, he is our master, he is our parent - and we are called to have this faith where we follow in Christ's footsteps. We may not know where He is leading us, but we must trust that He has a perfect plan and have faith, following closely in the footsteps of Christ.

 Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make you paths straight

Pray for the virtue of faith that we may have expectant, child-like faith, trust, and full reliance on Christ.

God bless!

In the love of Jesus & Mary,

Amber