By now, if you have followed these thoughts from week to week, you realize we have 2 cats that own us--despite the fact that we claim we own them, and that we think they are a loved part of our home life. They are two different cat personalities just like there are different people personalities. God makes each person and animal unique unto themselves. They continue to daily teach us a lot about the peace and patience of God. Is there anyone more content napping in the sunshine or looking out the window than a cat companion? When we see them stretched out on a bed or couch or large chair, perhaps with a twist and with their heads turned upside down and with a belly showing, we know that they are at peace with no fear from enemies. They are a continual reminder that we have peace and no fear when we rest in the presence and house of the Lord. It Is interesting to see how different female kitties are from male kitties. Perhaps there is a lesson here for humans to learn.
The Bible doesn't say anything about domestic cats in both the Old and New Testaments. However, there are mentions of big cats in various contexts. Other Felidae such as wildcats and lions are mentioned in various contexts, but not pet cats. That said, there are many Bible verses that may be of interest and relevance to cat-lovers. If you like cats, then probably like me, you like to see and watch them in videos or in person. I have a whole collection of funny cat action clips. They make me laugh even when I feel sad. Cats are marvelous creatures that God has given us to enjoy and that are part of all creation working together whether they are big cats or small kitties that sometimes live with us. Every creature of God is good…—I Timothy 4:4
The world seems to be divided into cat people and dog people. Sometimes homes have one person being the cat lover and one being the dog lover. Perhaps one loves big dogs with wagging tails, and the other loves furry, purring kittens—it is a standoff. The best solution for many years of marriage could be that a couple owned neither dog nor cat. But what enjoyment a pet can bring to a home. Open my eyes, Lord, to the beauty of all Your creatures.
Our two kitties have learned to tolerate each other. They make a pretense of not loving each other, yet we have found them play wrestling with each other just as sibling children often do. Sometimes one will holler Ouch! But no blood or serious hurt happens. Once in a while, we can even spot them sleeping near each other on the beds. They can do it, just not often. They sometimes attack each other if their supper isn't served to them in a timely manner. If they decide that we are too slow, then it seems that one cat decides that it must be the other cat's fault! Isn't that just like us--we always want to blame someone else when things don't go as we think they should.
One of our kitties is a brown tiger kitty and from the time she came to live with us, it seemed that we should call her Miss Kitty. That might have been because we always had boy kitties. The other kitty we have right now is a very black kitty that came to us as a very young kitten. When it became evident that he couldn't spend any more time in a cage learning to be our new house kitten, we had to let him have his freedom. He was a very happy little kitty! With a whole big new rooms and house to explore, he went about exploring as hard and as fast as he could. We wanted him to know his new home and know that it was the place to feel safe and to get food. So we kept him in the house for as long as we and he could stand it. In the meantime, he (no name yet!) was ready to get about kitten business and went exploring throughout our house. And explored and explored. And explored! This kitty found ways and places to go that no other kitty in our home has ever gone before! and we have had lots of kitties! So, we finally were able to give this kitty a name! He became Marco--Marco Polo! This kind of reminds me of Bible People! Bible Parents gave their kids very good names, most of the time. But later God renamed many of them and we know that their names, whether by parents, or by God, had meanings fitting their characters or what they did. I often wonder how their names were so appropriate to what they are known for. No parent can foresee what their child will be like and give them appropriate name—unless guided by God
This week we have enjoyed house guests! These are guests that we love! They are a son, a grandson, and their family pet dog! It is so fun when loved ones are able to come home. We have been able to enjoy our grandson and his cute ways. If you have never seen a 16 month old eat curly ramen noodles, then you have missed out on some fun. The 16 month old loved putting his fingers on the soft kitty fur of the cat that choose to stand up to the enemy and be part of our family during this time. Luna dog is a loved member of their family and well behaved and gentle and......playful! To her, cats are fun play things. To the cats, she is the enemy! So we observed the interaction with each other. Marco thought he was king in his own home and Luna should be ignored and he wanted to be ignored by her. Luna however, just wanted to play. She decided to play as often as she could and could not leave him alone it seemed. Even though Luna experienced the hidden weapons that Marco was so quick to use, it was not enough to keep her from daring to experiment with how quick she could dodge the very sharp claws. We heard several yipes!!!! On the other hand, Miss Kitty realized that Luna was her enemy! As long as she knew that the Enemy was in the house, she choose to avoid the Enemy! She spent the whole day outside! Now, she does not ever prefer the outdoors if she can be inside. It is usually a quick trip out and then she is ready to spend the rest of the day indoors, sleeping away the hours. We could not even entice her to come in for the reward of special treats. One of the days, it rained. I thought she might want to come in to get out of the storms. She did want to come in but she was very very cautious and went into hiding as quick as she could and we didn't see her until after 10pm when she finally came out to see if there might be food in her bowl. She is a scaredy cat and can't even get outside without taking a long time to stop and look and smell and make sure that there are no surprises lurking to get her. It takes minutes for her to get through the door and out.
So our kitties teach us lessons. We need to face sin and learn to ignore it. We should not let it control us but instead put it into the rightful place. We need to say get behind me, leave me alone. I'm in control and I say go away Satan. We don't want to be Miss Kitty’s where we are so afraid of the enemy that we don't even try to stand up to him. We let him control what we are going to do and where we go and when to flee. Our fear sends us into hiding and we think we are safe. What we don't understand is that the enemy is still there, waiting for us to be vulnerable and easily attacked. We do not make it clear to Satan that he had better leave us alone or we will bring out the weapons of war and fight Him off and out of our lives.
A Cat Parable--
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” Luke 15:20 (NIV)
We have two cats at our house. Our early years together were filled with lavish attention from us and demanded by them and lots of purring on their parts. Then, recently the unthinkable happened. A dog came to live with us for a few days. When we let the cats outside, we didn't seem them for the rest of the day. They exiled themselves. They essentially ran away from home--no matter how much we called for them to come back home. How could we abandon poor them to the elements? Yes, Miss Kitty would no doubt take shelter in the nearby garage and maybe safely back inside the house before time for us to go to bed.
But what if they got lost? Got hurt by another animal? Got hit by a car? I am always thinking of the terrible possibilities.
After a few hours, we stood on our back patio, calling for one last time before we went to bed
Then we saw him, Marco, coming in the dark shadows.
Minutes later, armed with a bowl of food, I opened the back door and a dark shape came close and then into the house. The second he got close enough, I made sure to reward his arrival with food and thanksgiving, my heart in relief. Our dear boy wasn’t dead; he was alive! He wasn’t lost; he was found!
I watched him dart around our brightly lit kitchen, looking for his supper, with relief on my face and in my thoughts, and I thought about our heavenly Father, who’d once watched my own escape into darkness. He, too, had waited. Called my name. Came looking for me, knowing I was too scared to come to Him. Wrapped His arms around me and carried me home.
It’s the same with the story Jesus told of the prodigal son in Luke 15:20, “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” Marco has been coming when we call and lets us scratch his head and ears for hours. When God calls, I come running, knowing His love alone has tamed my rebel heart.
Lord, Your love for us is endless, Your patience with us is boundless, and Your willingness to save us is beyond understanding. Thank You for pursuing us, rescuing us and welcoming us home. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
