Paddy the Golden Doodle Learns to Pray

 

Paddy the Golden Doodle Learns to Pray

By Pastor Jim Allen, Trinity Evangelical Church

 

In a world that’s always looking for a shortcut, the ancient wisdom of building good habits often gets lost in the shuffle. But as spiritual leaders and biblical scholars have reminded me time and time again, habits aren’t just boring routines. They are powerful tools for spiritual growth, designed to keep our hearts focused on Christ and sustain us in His grace.

 

Miss Carol, my wife, finally let me get a Golden-Doodle puppy last Christmas. Since I’m a Fightin’ Irish Notre Dame graduate, we named him “Paddy.” Now, Paddy is a bright little fella, and I’ve noticed he’s a stickler for tradition. One morning I tried to give him his vitamin wafer whole, and he spit it right out! I finally remembered that he was waiting for me to break it into fourths first, a habit we’ve had since he was a pup.

 

Paddy is a creature of habit. Around 9 p.m., he starts giving me the look that says it's time to “go outside,” and then we have to go to bed. If Miss Carol stays up late to watch her beloved Dodgers play, Paddy gets very upset and will keep walking up and down the stairs to get her to go to sleep.

 

Recently, I’ve been teaching Paddy to pray, and I’m pretty sure he’s now the best “Prayer Warrior” in the whole Church. Every time I give him a treat, he knows he has to stop and pray first. It was a tough habit to start, but now it’s becoming a natural part of his life. In the coming weeks, I’m giving Paddy his own Bible. He will have to fetch it, open it, and be able to turn the pages himself. This will take a couple of months of training.

 

And that’s my point. We need to build spiritual habits, not to make them a chore but to make them a part of who we are. They help us stay in God's grace and keep us from wandering off the path. Regular Bible study, memorizing Scripture, witnessing to others, and prayer will transform your life. Pretty soon you'll see God’s power at work in you.

 

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,” urges the Apostle Paul in Romans 12:2. This call to transformation isn't a one-and-done deal. It’s a continuous process, nurtured and sustained through intentional practices—what we call habits. One of my usual resources, the spiritual director Father Thomas Keating, often said, “Our habits, good or bad, are deeply etched pathways in our consciousness. The spiritual journey involves consciously re-routing those pathways towards God.”

 

The Bible is full of examples and reminders about forming good habits. From the daily sacrifices commanded in the Old Testament to the regular prayer lives of the early Church, the rhythm of disciplined living is a recurring theme. “Pray without ceasing,” exhorts 1 Thessalonians 5:17. This isn't a demand to be talking to God 24/7, but rather an invitation to develop a heart that is always open and ready to hear God’s voice.

Another trusted source, theologian Dallas Willard, consistently pointed out that “grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning. Earning is an attitude. Effort is an action. Grace, you know, does not just do everything for us.” This perspective perfectly highlights the role of our habits. They are our effort and faithful actions that create a fertile ground for grace to grow. Daily scripture reading, for instance, isn't about earning God’s favor. It’s about habitually soaking ourselves in His Word so that, as Psalm 119:105 declares, “Your Word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”

 

Consider the habit of gratitude. “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus,” commands 1 Thessalonians 5:18. Building a daily habit of gratitude—whether through prayer, journaling, or just noticing blessings—shifts our focus from what we lack to what we have, opening our hearts to the joy that is our inheritance in Christ.

 

However, it is vital to remember that habits are not the end goal. They are not a checklist for spiritual perfection, and they aren't a replacement for a real, living relationship with God. As the prophet Isaiah warns in Isaiah 29:13, “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”

 

The real power of spiritual habits lies in their ability to keep our hearts constantly focused on Christ. They are the way we “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). A habit of quiet reflection, for example, makes space for us to hear the “still small voice” of God (1 Kings 19:12), which guides us and strengthens our resolve.

 

As many would agree, the goal of spiritual habits isn't self-improvement alone but to make ourselves more available to God. They are a disciplined dance with grace, where our consistent efforts become channels for His transformative power. “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose,” Paul reminds us Philippians 2:13. Our habits are simply our “yes” to His ongoing work in us.

 

So, as we go about our busy lives, let's stop and think about the habits we're forming. Are they bringing us closer to Christ, or are they pulling us away? Are they sustaining us in His grace, or are we just relying on our own strength? As it says in Proverbs 4:23, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” And by building holy habits, we find a powerful way to guard that sacred space, keeping it centered on our Savior.

 

As I mentioned, in the coming weeks, Paddy will learn how to open the Bible and turn the pages. My parishioners tell me that as soon as he can preach, they’ll be happy to trade this old dog of a Pastor for Paddy.