Forest walks would be more enjoyable if two things were different:
1. A very clean, only used by me, outhouse was strategically placed at
about the halfway point, and
2. Sadie didn’t roll in things.
Maybe you already know this, but Sadie is my 18 month old Bernedoodle puppy, and she rolls in things a lot. Dead things. Stinky things. And gross things.
Today, for example, the forest held evidence of a wildlife showdown, ending badly for one of the furry parties. Sadie rolled in it.
Yesterday, she rolled in horse manure.
And last week, she found the dead frog I’ve been trying to hide from her for months. Rolled in it. Carried it down the path and rolled in it again.
Much of our walks involve me chasing and scolding and trying to push her away from that tempting grossness she so desperately wants to roll in.
Sometimes she even goes back for a second and third roll.
And right now, walking this path with her, she really (I mean really) stinks. Rolling in dead stuff is not good for our relationship.
So, this morning as I found myself dragging her away from the mess on the path, it occurred to me that I roll in stuff too.
I roll in the gross, dead, stinky stuff too.
I stop on my path to gaze at things not meant for me. Or run back to things in the past, just to have one more look - even though God has called me away for them.
Sometimes I dabble in grossness and left over mess that takes me away from pursuing holiness.
The things I roll in may not stand out as big deals to others, but they keep me from being the woman God has asked me to be.
I admit, I roll in comparison or envy.
And sometimes I roll in self deprecating thinking or negative chatter.
And.... Here's a gross one - I even roll in judgementalism sometimes.
Ugh, that one is especially stinky.
God must get so tired of my rolling. He calls me forward, He asks me to stay focused and with more grace than I can comprehend, He comes back for me time and time again.
I don’t want to roll in gross things. I just want to honour Him. I want to know He’s proud of me. I want to be a child He can count on to stay fixed on Him and His plans for me.
So every day is a new day. Every minute is a new minute.
I get to choose to obey and walk forward focused on Him. And when I walk past the gross things tempting me away from His plan, I enjoy closeness with Him that only comes from obedience and trust.
May the rest of your July be full of reminders that you are worth it to God to always go back for - whether you've been rolling in stuff or not.
Love Nicole