TGIF
Yesterday, I had to take Liam to the cat ER.
We had tried to get him in the day before, but getting a veterinary appointment here is just a little more difficult than getting an audience with the Pope.
Liam is Treys cat, but it is known among the clan that if not for Smokey, I would have cat napped him and lied about his disappearance long ago.
He is very affectionate, very smart, and most of all, exceedingly chill.
A cool cat, indeed.
Except…he doesn’t travel well.
In the carrier on the way to the hospital, he made sounds I’ve never heard him make.
Sounds of fear and panic and confusion…he had no idea what was happening or why.
Worse than that, his old friend seemed to be behind it all. I was the one who gathered him up and put him in the carrier and I was the only one with him in this machine he couldn’t see out of or escape from.
Surely, if he cried louder, I would hear and rescue him…so he cried even louder.
When the car stopped, the ordeal wasn’t over as he hoped it would be. He was still in the carrier, but now there were other cats howling from their own prisons…and dogs.
Then he was abandoned by his friend and given into the hands of strangers to do as they would with him.
Hours later he was returned to me and we started home…and the cries were even louder.
My fear was that when we got him home that he would no longer trust or even abide me…which to me would be the equivalent of losing an old friend over a misunderstanding.
To my great relief, when I opened the carrier, he didn’t bolt.
He relaxed into my arms like a big ball of liquid Liam and all was well again.
He didn’t understand, but he still trusted.
He knew he was home at last.
If you’ve read here for years, the application is obvious…but it’s not.
Liam is not a fool of a cat, nor is he of small character.
Liam had every reason to be afraid and confused.
He had every reason to feel betrayed.
He had every reason to wonder why his buddy not only wouldn’t help, but was making things worse.
The worst part for him was knowing I could hear him cry and not seeming to care…of course he was panicked.
Right now, some of you feel like Liam on the way to the vet.
Right now, I feel like Liam on the way to the vet.
I don’t know what’s going on or why and no matter how loud I cry things aren’t getting better.
It’s hard.
What I lack…and what Liam lacked…is not faith, but information.
Liam knows that I am a good friend…he just didn’t understand why his friend was causing him grief.
I know that God is good, but I don’t know why He won’t “help”.
In my worst moments I declare that it better be a damn good reason…I can only trust that it is.
I still hope that He will respond….hope is faith projected into the future…but the future where my trust is rewarded may be longer to come than I desire.
When Liam got home he still didn’t understand, but he trusted again.
When I get home, so will I.
So will you.
We will get home.
I’ll introduce you to Liam.
Now…make your own application…
Excellent!
Thank you, London!
More and more I try to fall on what I know is true in God’s Word, like Psalm 46:1. It helps to settle me and get me on to the next thing. Not every question needs to be answered today, but the students still need taught and thecat fed. Those routines keep me going.
Driving home from PDX last Thursday morning, a Bruce Cockburn song came on the radio. The hook line was “ If this were the last night of the world What would I do? What would I do that was different , Unless it was champagne with you?…”
There is once again a lot of focus among dispensational that what is happening in the world is, as one girl said last Tuesday night at dinner, “right out of the book of Revelation.
The prophecy update folks are oozing with excitement that the Lord is coming back as predicted in the scripture.
For certain, I look forward to that day! But is what is happening in the world that which is described in scripture? Maybe. My prophecy update for over wt years has been “it could be today”.
But my point is this. I’ve asked people “If you knew Jesus was coming back tomorrow what would you do?” The answers have ranged from, “I’d spend it with my family”, or “I’d share Jesus with my closest friends” or “I’d spend it in meaningful dialogue and remembrance with my spouse”.
These are all good responses. But my response to these answers is why wait?
Why does it take a major event like the return of Christ to get us to spend time with family, or share Christ with a friend, or spend meaningful time with your spouse? Why not do it now?
Too many folks, Imo, spend too much time at prophecy updates or seminars as if God is going to grade their results. The one closest to the actual date wins the prize! When in reality, I think he will ask us, “in light of my imminent return, how did you spend your time?”
While we will not necessarily receive high marks for our good works, I can’t help but think there is some extra credit for investing time with family, sharing Christ—or being Christ to another person. And certainly for loving our spouse as Christ loved the church.
Just some random thoughts from a crazy Evangelical
Officer Hoppy,
What I heard from our current pastor several times:
“Live every day like Jesus will be here in a heartbeat, but make sure you are serving him every moment that you’re waiting.”
Prophecy conferences have as much to do with the faith as comic book conferences do…they are, in fact, strikingly similar…
It’s a Calvary Chapel thing. I agree with your pastor
I’m EFCA, and we don’t have prophecy conferences. I think I’m grateful for that!
I went to one prophecy conference…ONE…and will never go to another one. It was weird with lots of SPECULATION. I know that I didn’t get anything long-lasting and solid from the conference.