Went on a mini-retreat last week at a local abbey located in the middle of nowhere. This particular nowhere is quite beautiful. The abbey office was closed when I arrived, but there was still a welcoming committee.
Friendly fellas. They were my constant companions every time I went outside. They were sweet and fun, but when I tried to take a picture of anything, there they were! And I couldn’t even get a great picture of them, because they were so happy and loving and on the move and in my face! Pet me! Love me! No, pet ME! My turn!
There were muddy paw prints. Dog drool. Doggy breath. It was when I was on the nature trail that I started to get a little aggravated….they were everywhere, tromping through the early morning wetness, here they are, there they went, no here they are again, slurp slurp in the creek, pant pant all over my pants…they all but knocked me over a dozen times! Dadgumit, they were messing with my peaceful solitude!
Then I leaned way down to take a picture, and this happened…..
Splat! I went in the wet leaves, with those big, lovable lugs right on top of me! I couldn’t help but laugh, and then I looked at this picture. And I realized. Those sweet, clumsy galoots were part of the story. Part of the experience. And I knew at that moment that I wouldn’t have traded it for anything.
I wonder…is there anything in your life that seems like an interruption, an irritation? Something you just don’t have time for, didn’t ask for, but there it is, can’t avoid it? Apparently I needed to get knocked right off my self-righteous shoes, thinking those sweet dogs were somehow in the way of what I wanted to do. In reality, they were a lovely, precious element to the trip, and added a whole new dimension to it.
I don’t know what your current interruption or irritation might be, but ask God to give you His perspective on it. Ask Him to help you see the circumstance with His eyes.
“There is only one thing worth being concerned about…”. Luke 10:42
The 100th Sheep 