TGIF Replay: 2015
“If you feed them, you’ll never get rid of them.”
Strays.
Every day, sometimes more than once a day, we put out food for the strays.
We “know” some of them now, and watch for them.
The same food that is served the proper feline residents of the home is set out for the strays.
They are welcome to come inside and eat if they choose.
Indeed, they are welcome to become part of the family if they should ever so desire.
In fact, we’d prefer they did.
It’s a harsh world out there on your own.
We’ve been doing this for decades, but now and again someone will think it wise to admonish us…
“If you feed them, you’ll never get rid of them.”
This assumes they would cease to exist if I joined in depriving them of food and shelter.
Maybe they would just disappear.
What is missed in that concern is that most of these strays came from somewhere.
They had a home and were either mistreated or abandoned and left to fend for themselves.
They had a home.
Then they didn’t.
It is difficult to get them to live inside…they have learned the hard way not to trust the transient affections of those who live in the house.
It’s easier to be a stray than risk abuse and abandonment again.
Still, I’m faithful to put out the food and offer a home.
My heart is that they find a home here.
I know some people who feel the same way about the church as the strays do about our house.
They had a home.
Then they didn’t.
It’s safer to stay outside than to risk coming in.
People wish they would disappear too.
I understand this.
I’ve been a stray myself.
“If you feed them, you’ll never get rid of them.”
That’s the point…and I think Jesus made it first.
Make your own application…
Welcome to my world… the kitties, I mean. I don’t even try church. anymore.
Thanks for reposting this….been an unwilling stray from church for over 15 years now, and there are days when I spend Sundays sorting through the rubble of my previous active church life with great sadness, like a child trying to put together an irreparably broken toy. Every time I investigate what looks like an open door, some church person does or says something to me that carries a clear underlying message along the lines of, “Oh no, we don’t have room for you — we aren’t going make space for you — wasn’t intending to invite you to the cool church thing I was talking about — well, if you come, it has to be on our terms, not yours — sorry, that’s not for you, that’s for our folks” and it’s both discouraging and exasperating to see the church leading with fear instead of love. The reason I’m still here and reading this blog is because you seem to be the only one who understands the experience, and I’m glad you continue to write about it. Thanks again.
sarahmorgan,
Thanks for the kind words…I hope you find some fellowship in the Spirit here…
Up here, if you put out food for the feral cats, you get raccoon s and skunks…sigh
I get them …and possums.
The possums follow the cats in to the house…so far, the coons and skunks have not…
We had eleven cats at one time because we could not turn any away. We are now down to five.
Unfortunately we have not been able to provide medical care for so many (besides shots). When they get seriously ill they die. Still they get love while we have them.