Pause Before You Panic

Last week, we lost a dog for part of the day—and it turned into a lesson I didn’t see coming.

Gunner isn’t technically my dog. He belongs to my nephew who lives next door, but he spends most days at my house for what we call “doggy daycare” because he loves playing with my dog, Marley. But one morning, I wasn’t going to be home, so Gunner stayed at his house. Since the weather was so beautiful, my nephew put him out on their gated back porch.

What we didn’t expect was a tree crew to show up and start grinding stumps. And if you have heard me talk about Gunner before, you know he’s terrified of loud noises—thunder, fireworks, anything like that. So when that machine started up, he panicked, broke through the gate, and ran.

At first, no one was too terribly worried. He’s done this before and usually just hides under nearby bushes until things quiet down. But this time was different. Even after everything settled, he was nowhere to be found.

By the time I got home, the search was already underway. We live out in the country, so houses are spread out, and there’s a lot of land to cover. Still, I was convinced he had to be close by—probably tucked away somewhere like he always is. That’s what made sense to me.

But after hours of searching with no sign of him, a post went up on our local community Facebook group. And before long, someone responded with a picture of Gunner…two miles away. Two miles!

He had run to the trails in the woods on our family land, where I walk him and Marley every day, crossed the creek, and just kept going. I couldn’t believe he had wandered that far from home.

And it got me thinking. How often do we do the same thing?

Something shakes us—fear, stress, uncertainty—and instead of pausing, we react. We panic. We want out. We just want to get away from whatever feels uncomfortable or overwhelming in the moment. And before we know it, we’ve bolted from the very place that was actually safe.

Gunner didn’t stop to think. He didn’t pause to realize he was okay. He just ran.

And if I’m honest, I’ve done that too. Maybe not physically, but in my thoughts, my decisions, or the way I respond to situations. A hard moment comes, and my first instinct is to react instead of breathe.

But what if, instead, we paused?

What if we took a breath, slowed down, and gave ourselves a moment to see things clearly before making a move? Sometimes the situation isn’t as dangerous as it feels in the moment. Sometimes staying put—or taking one careful step instead of running—can keep us from going farther off course than we ever intended.

Fear has a way of making everything feel urgent. But wisdom often whispers, “Slow down.”

And maybe that’s the reminder we all need—Not every moment calls for a reaction. Sometimes it calls for a breath.

“Do not be anxious about anything… and the peace of God… will guard your hearts and your minds…” Philippians 4:6-7

April 12, 2026 Morning Brew

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