TGIF
When Miss Kitty first arrived at my home, she came here because she needed something.
Food.
Feline acquaintances had told her that a starving cat could find enough to survive from me and when she had no other options she came to me.
She was a wild looking, wild acting mess, with long, dirty, sticker filled hair.
I would feed her because I’ll feed any stray, but my son loved her for reasons known only to him.
For some time she would only show up when she was desperate, but over time we started to build a relationship.
She slowly started coming into the house for a bit, and she would allow me to help her clean the mess she was wearing.
She wouldn’t stay long though…
There were other cats in my home already and while they acted like she was welcome, there was always some tension in the air…she hadn’t quite learned how to act like a cat who lived in this house.
It was still more comfortable in the uncomfortable environment she was accustomed to.
Today though, things are different.
She is sleeping on my lap as I write this, having slept with me all night.
We got up together as we always do, had breakfast together, and started our day.
She doesn’t much care what the other cats think, she just wants to be with me.
Food is still important, but not as important as being with someone she knows loves her.
When I’m gone somewhere, she waits outside the door for me.. or waits in my chair because she knows that’s where I’ll be when I’m home.
She’s learned to behave like she lives here because I loved her until she could trust me enough to change.
Now, she’s my constant companion.
I enjoy her being here as much as she enjoys being with me.
Now, this is where I usually come up with an ending sentence and slap “make your own application” on the end of another parable about the relationship we have with God as modeled by a cat.
There’s a problem though…a few problems.
After decades of knowing God I still only show up when I’m desperate.
I still have a lot of dirt and a bunch of stickers.
I still haven’t learned to trust enough to find His lap as wonderful as His food.
I’m not completely convinced He loves me like I love the cat.
I’m really not sure about all the other “cats” in the house…
He still feeds me though…He does it for His son.
Now…make your own application…
I love this, of course…..Thank you.
“She doesn’t much care what the other cats think, she just wants to be with me.”
That sums up a lot of wounded believers.
Thanks, my friends….I’ll get a couple a couple emails informing me that I’m not spiritual enough for the ministry, but that’s ok.
I was reminded again last night that I’m not here for those who think they have already got there…
Michael,
I have one question regarding Miss Kitty: Has she put on her inside cat, while taking off her outside cat, or does she (and always will) remain 100% inside and outside cat?
She’s 100% inside and outside.
She only goes out to relieve herself in the winter…but we sleep with the door open a crack.
Make your own application…
Happy birthday, Jean!
Happy birthday, Jean!
Thank you for the birthday wishes 🙂
Michael – You must be a cat-whisperer – it’s almost impossible to tame a feral. I kept food out on the deck for my cat but the racoons began helping themselves. They became so tame that they began knocking on the sliding glass door begging for more and now do not even back up as we replenish the supply. They’re just too cute to refuse.
Cat-Lover,
We have the same problem with the coons…and deal with it the same way.
I’ve got a couple cats that hang around and share a dish with the burglars… 🙂
I’m not as fond of the possums…
The first feral I ever knew introduced himself by bringing a baby rattlesnake as barter…that was my favorite cat ever by the time all was said and done.
Cats are simply amazing creatures.Just when you think you know what your little house mate is about……………
I would like to thank those who said a prayer for my friend Kirk….he is out of intensive care and no longer needs to use a ventilator to breath.He will fully recover.He had a very deadly infection in his neck and came very close to death.A wonderful work is happening in his spiritual life right now.
Dude…thank you for reading and allowing us to pray.
Michael, this time of year isn’t your fave, we know, however you continually gift us with your insight and writing. This is another one I’m going to “re-gift”!
Thank you Pam…the gift for any writer is someone who cares enough to read what is written…so, thank you again for being part of what we do.
“He does it for His son”
God does it because He loves you
…even if His Son never entered the equation
…because He sees and knows and cherishes you without reservation or hesitation
…because there is simply nothing to add to His love for you
It’s not, “God loves and tolerates me because if it weren’t because of His Son He’d be inclined to pitch me in the bin when He takes out the trash, but because of Jesus He grudgingly tolerates me and HAS to put up with me”
God cannot be separated from you or you from Him. It’s purely perception on your part, and that is based on the ebb & flow of body chemistry and your thoughts/emotional life.
Love wins
Love wins – Since we already had God’s love, Jesus died for no reason.
Now we can’t even count it as a sacrifice or an atonement – it is just another case of God murder … yes, Love Wins.
Yes, Love certainly does win. When a person loves Jesus and wants to spend eternity with Him, his reward is beyond what we can ask or think. On the flip side, when one does not love Jesus, he makes his eternal home with his father the devil. God is Love and it no doubt grieves Him when His creatures reject that love and bring eternal separation upon themselves. Love sure does win for those who receive it.
Michael,
Pay no attention to the curmudgeon who cannot resist posting before thinking and mocking what he obviously is unwilling to think through.
My post is ::not :: about “not needing Jesus”. It’s about the millennia of testimony and witness that the children of The Father have time and time again come to realize, that each of us is precious to Him. The fact that Jesus came for each of us individually underscores The Father ‘s love.
I sincerely pray that your application is the lifting of your spirit during this season you find challenging.
Love wins
2 books every man, woman, pastor and therapist should read:
http://www.amazon.com/Changes-That-Heal-Henry-Cloud/dp/0310606314/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419023124&sr=8-1&keywords=Changes+that+Heals
http://www.amazon.com/Intimacy-Anorexia-Healing-Addiction-Marriage/dp/1881292266/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1419022886&sr=8-2&keywords=doug+weiss
Back to your true allegory Michael. It certainly does demonstrate my comments about God’s love. He takes care of all of us — gave every breathing person the same planet that is full of His abundance. (You providing food outside for all the cats to enjoy.) God’s offer of eternal life is offered to all. (Every cat in your neighborhood.) All are nourished thereby but only the few are thankful for His supply. (Feral cats outside the fold of your own cat family get in on the blessing.) Those whose hearts are thankful love the Master who supplied all, and only the few love Him, like the ten who were healed of blindness, but only one returned to thank the Master. (One ferel cat out of many warmed up to you who showed love and care to the many.) Only those who love God and kiss His Son can come to live in the Celestial Home. (Only the cats that love you, their master, enter into your home.) That would be ‘my application.’
A few things about the cat that allows me to reside with her. Mimbsy was “rescued” by my mom when she was still alive. My mom and Mimbsy had a love hate relationship. I never paid much attention to Mimbsy until after my mother died. Mimbsy would sleep on her bed many months after my mom passed. The cat really grieved in her own way and to be honest I envied. I dont grieve too well. But now Mimbsy sleeps with me, she has a special bed right next to mine, she has her own desk, eats at the table with me well on the table or the bowl by the computer, yes she has her own computer to.
Today I attended a memorial service for those in our city who have been homeless at some time in their lives, and died this past year.
Part of the service every year is an open mic time.
This year, a guy stood up in front of everyone, admitted he’d spent most of the year drunk, only the last month sober, and that he has realized during the service today he very well could have his name written in “the wall” (a place where tiles of names of the dead goes) if he didnt change his habits.
He talked about how he had a cat and that cat has changed his life, and right now is the one thing he is living for..caring for the cat is what is keeping him alive day to day.
The words this guy spoke about the struggle to just live one more day and encouraging everyone there (lots if homeless folks) to not give up the fight were deep and raw.
His cat story reminded me of you Michael.
Cats teaching the gospel even on the street. 😉
London,
Thank you for that…even if it made me cry…which it did.
https://i.imgur.com/xa0Zu1i.jpg
London I have buried so many people, God would have done me and the world a favor if He, in His holiness taken me out. My perspective God is really big on death the more brutal the better, I get that we are fallen cursed creatures alienated from any of God’s love. I will agree seeking God’s love is an unreasonable request. I have no illusions I expect nothing from God but utter wrath, I hope for grace but that cant happen, and I get that. God is a God of war and God is a God of wrath. I get that as well. I have never really gotten why God, who knows all things from before the foundations of the entire universe would be surprised by us falling, He created us to fall, that is very clear in scripture. We are innademante objects I E pots and He is the potter. The utter vast majority of all of humanity are vessels of wrath. Conceived in eternity to be servants of Satan. I will admit I cant agree, I dont believe in magic or other such nonsense, and it is utter nonsense. I just want to hope. I really do.
I’ve buried a lot of people too Brian.
This last week has pretty much done me in as far as that goes….
One of my very good friend’s dad died…before the funeral I said “happy birthday” to another friend on FB, only to find out on the way home from the funeral the second friend had died that night…
The day after her funeral, got on FB to see a note from my cousin that her mom, my aunt, had died that night….then, found out from the first friend, whose Dad had died, that a kid of a family I lived with for a time whilst I was going to college, got killed in a car wreck a couple weeks ago.
The service today was not as “sacred feeling” as it has been in the past few years, not sure if that was because it was a different venue or what,usually, it’s connection to humanity in all it’s rawness that somehow refuels my emotional reserves. Today, aside from that one guy basically coming to grips with the futility of alcoholism right in front of us all, it even felt empty.
Hope is all there is.
I couldn’t help but think of this when I read the thread.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icPE4NURHP0&w=560&h=315%5D
On a more serious note, God did create all the animals to be our companions.
“I still haven’t learned to trust enough to find His lap as wonderful as His food”: Thank you for your post Michael, it spoke to my heart! Merry Christmas everyone!!
“I loved her until she could trust me enough to change.”
it is so important to internalize God’s immutable love – it’s part of Who He is… but it isn’t all that He is… when we finally trust that part of Him, we began our ‘housebreaking’ and realize that His house is perfect and what it must cost Him to both reconcile us to Himself AND to endure so many who ignore Him or hate Him… all those stickers and sores are the result of our rebellion out here on planet earth… woops, thot i was a preacher there for a moment
great TGIF and a good read this morning – thank you, Michael and commenters
I liked this present day parable. Very good!
Your application aka / lesson’s are mine too.
Hi Steve!!!
Good to see you here!