My Dog Faith and Fear

For all the amazing things Faith is known for, she has one character flaw: unreasonable fear. She was a rescue dog, so we don’t always know where her fear comes from.

The craziest fear she has concerns our hardwood floors. Faith is afraid to walk on them. Faith has never appreciated our efforts to trim her nails. As a result, we may have let them grow too long. Her nails clicked when she walked on our floors and may have been uncomfortable or slippery.

So now we trim them more often, but she remains afraid of our hardwood floors. She walks around our house, jumping from rug to rug. Really? When I can’t find her and she doesn’t come when we call, I’ll see her head pop around the corner of the doorway of a carpeted room. She is afraid to step onto the hardwood floor that separates us, leaving her alone on her own island of carpet.

What kind of unreasonable fear do you have?

Benjamin Franklin had many insights into overcoming fear:

• Fear is often a product of our imagination rather than reality.

• Confronting fears can lead to personal growth and resilience.

• Avoiding fear can prevent us from seizing opportunities.

• Knowledge and preparation can diminish feelings of fear.

• Embrace challenges to build confidence and strength.

One of my favorite quotes about fear is attributed to Suzy Kassem: “Fear kills more dreams than failure ever will.”

There are 365 Bible verses that essentially say, “Do not fear!” Imagine that—one verse for every day of the year! God must have known one of our greatest human challenges would be facing fear.

Faith Dog doesn’t read, and she has never heard of Benjamin Franklin, Suzy Kassem, or the Bible, so she may never overcome her unreasonable fear. For us, God promises we are not alone (Matt. 28:20). He will never leave or forsake us (Deut. 31:6), and all things are possible through Him (Matt. 19:26), which sets us free to be overcomers.