rocco let me down
I was gone for a little over two weeks recently. It was the longest I’ve been away from Rocco since I adopted him and I missed him terribly. He stayed with my dad, went to doggie day care, escaped a few times, and did relatively well.
Here is a picture of us when we finally reunited. He’s wearing a sweater that I got him as a present.
Leading up to me leaving, I tried to give Rocco lots of extra attention, mainly in the form of extra cuddles. Since I don’t know Rocco’s past, I was worried that he might think that I abandoned him. A few days before I was going to leave, I noticed that Rocco was seeming kind of protective of me and I suspected that he knew I was leaving.
Of course, I don’t think that Rocco actually knew any of this. He just loved the cuddles and he wanted more of them. I was fine with that.
The entire time that I was gone, I imagined what our reunion would look like. I imagined him running to me, jumping all over me, and giving me kisses. It would be the equivalent of a military homecoming, or so I thought.
In reality, when I came home, Rocco just kind of seemed confused. No jumping. No cuddles. No kisses. In fact, his tail wasn’t even wagging, which is extremely unusual for him.
Talk about disappointment.
We’re in the Second Week of Advent, which is typically known as the season of waiting or the season of joyful expectation. Waiting can be painful but when we rest in knowing that God loves us, we can be at peace. It is a peace that comes from knowing that He will fulfill all of our desires.
But why does God make us wait? Why doesn’t He just give us the good things now? Why does He give us the chance to doubt Him, to wonder whether or not He is really everything that we hope He is?
God asks us to wait for the same reason that He does absolutely everything else: for our sake.
You see, I wasn’t really cuddling Rocco to make Rocco feel better. I was cuddling Rocco because I needed reassurance.
I didn’t give Rocco a sweater because I thought that it would reassure him that I was thinking of him while I was gone. I got the sweater because it makes me happy.
We’re not waiting because God likes to build suspense. We’re waiting because He loves us.
Sometimes waiting can feel like this picture of Rocco tangled up in my sweater. That’s when we can ask ourselves: How is God loving me right now, in the waiting? How is He preparing my heart for the good things that I know are to come?
Announcement:
A Letter from Rocco is going to be launching a book club! Keep an eye out for more info.