Rocco loves to sleep (honestly, same). It doesn’t matter where we are, this little puppy will find a way to sleep. What follows are some of my favorite sleepy beagle pictures:
I didn’t know this when I got him, but Rocco is also a contortionist. He will do absolutely anything to fit in a space, especially if he wants to sleep in it.
Sometimes it makes sense. Like yes, Rocco is pretty close in size to that thing, like when he cuddles up in a dog bed. Other times, it makes no sense, like when he contorts and cuddles up inside of his toy bin.
I don’t know about you, but I can often feel like Rocco, trying to make myself fit in a space where I don’t really fit. It may not even be comfortable, but I try to do it anyway.
This could be in relationships, it could be professionally, it could be with a housing or financial situation. Whatever it is, we all have to do a certain amount of acrobatics to try to balance all of the pieces of our lives and sometimes “going with the flow” can mean getting stuck in a place where we don’t really fit.
In fact, just this past week I dropped a professional project that I had been really excited about. Financially, it made a lot of sense for me to get involved in it. But in doing it, I really felt like Rocco, trying to contort myself to make it work. I wasn’t good at it. I didn’t like it.
In truth, it takes a certain amount of privilege to be able to say, “If something doesn’t give your life meaning, then change it!” Many people in the world don’t have that opportunity and I want to acknowledge that.
The Holy Spirit is at work in all of our lives, though. And one of the ways the Holy Spirit works is by making something more difficult than we think it should be. This is a way of getting us to stop, to think, to discern what is really the next best move.
Now, that might make the Holy Spirit sound mean. But think about it this way: one day, I saw Rocco fighting to get himself to fit inside his toy bin so that he could take a nap.
His dog bed was literally right next to it.
Obstacles can be a real mercy. Feeling consistently overwhelmed, feeling like we aren’t using our gifts, feeling like we don’t fit, can be a sign that we are not on the path that God has planned for us or that He is trying to move us in another direction.
Sometimes that other direction is a nap. Sometimes it means starting therapy. Or it could be as big as ending a relationship or cutting off contact with someone or switching career paths. It could even mean giving up a project that you had planned on buying your first house off of (*sigh*, that was a tough one for me).
Following the Holy Spirit just to make the next step is what will ultimately get us to heaven. One day the next step will simply be to abandon ourselves into the hands of God so that He can say to us, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”
Rocco doesn’t have the ability to discern the movements of the Holy Spirit, but we do. Jesus said that He sent His Holy Spirit as a gift for us. Why don’t we pay more attention to it?
Three Reminders:
If you enjoy my writing, I would be grateful for your paid subscription. It’s $5/month or $50/year and allows me to work on this newsletter regularly even though it takes up time from other projects. You can sign up here.
This newsletter is an affiliate with Sock Religious! I always get compliments when I wear this t-shirt that has the Eucharist AND Iggy lyrics on it.
Rocco’s book club is underway! We had a wonderful time together last Friday as we talked a little bit about Trader Joe’s and a lot about life. If you’re interested in the next book club, it will be on Friday February 4th at 8pm EST. The book is The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley. For more info on joining the book club, read this post.