About a year ago, our family decided to add a puppy to our home. I’ll be honest with you—I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with that dog. There are moments when I enjoy her company, and then there are moments when I’m chasing her around the house because she has something she definitely shouldn’t. It’s amazing how one little dog can bring comfort and crisis all in the same day.

They say a dog is man’s best friend, and if I had to explain why, I’d say it comes down to loyalty. Our dog’s name is Cookie—black and white like an Oreo, though Oreo felt a little too easy. Cookie is incredibly loyal. No matter how my day has gone—good or bad—she’s always at the door, tail wagging, happy to see me. She doesn’t measure my mood. She doesn’t keep score. She’s just there.

That kind of loyalty makes me stop and think. Dogs are loyal by nature, often to a fault. And yet, if an animal can be that faithful to a master who forgets to refill the water bowl or gets distracted with life, why do I struggle to be faithful to a God who has never failed me? God has never let me down—not once. And yet, in the ups and downs of life, I still find myself wrestling with trust.

I’m not comparing the Christian life to the life of a dog—that’s not the point. I’m drawing a contrast. Jesus did something similar in Matthew 6 when He spoke about the birds of the air. God feeds them, and they don’t worry about tomorrow. And then Jesus reminds us that we are far more valuable than they are. Still, He says, “O ye of little faith.” If God cares for birds—and if loyalty comes so naturally to animals—why do we hesitate to trust a faithful God?

I’ll admit it plainly: my faith isn’t always where it should be. I lean too easily on my own emotions and reasoning. But God keeps calling me back—to trust Him, to depend on Him, to place every concern in His hands. Cookie, in her own simple way, has become a lesson to me. If she can trust an imperfect owner so completely, how much more should I trust a perfect God who has never failed me?