Watching my children work together to feed this cat her medicine, I was reminded of my relationship with God…
We have a little cat who is about a year old. When we first brought her home from the vet we kept her indoors so that she could become acquainted with us and we would be able to call her to us and she would have some measure of loyalty to us. DO not forget that a cat is not a dog and has loyalty to nobody other than itself…
After the first few weeks in our family, we started the send this little cat outside. At first it was for short breaks outside so that she could start to become familiar with her surroundings and learn how to get back home when she left our backyard.
And then – some very short time later – tat little cat began to live permanently outside. That is not to say that she does not come inside for a visit every now and again, but it is to say that she is only ever allowed inside for a short period of time and is sent back out very quickly, where she is perfectly happy with her relative freedom.
The other day, we needed to give this little cat some medication. This medication was in the form of a tablet. Now, anybody who has had to give a tablet to an animal will know that it can be a particularly challenging exercise. You see, first you need to prise the animal’s mouth open and then throw the tablet in and ensure the animal swallows it – all while protecting your fingers from being inadvertently bitten off by the animal in hand…
And watching my children work together to feed this cat her medicine, I was reminded of my relationship with God…
You see, just as the cat roams around outside in the backyard and is terribly terribly happy to feel free – so too do I roam around in the world far away from my Lord and God and feel that I am free and revel in my own insignificant power. And just as that cat needs the medicine to stay healthy – so too do I need the sacrifices that are sent to me to stay SPIRITUALLY healthy. And just as the cat struggles to hold still and swallow the tablet – so too do I struggle to hold still and trust in the Lord my God to administer what is required for my SPIRITUAL health. And just as the cat nips and yaps and causes pain to my children when they try to prise her mouth open to administer her tablet – so too do I nip and scratch at my Lord and God through my rejection of His Holy Will, causing Him pain…
And when I stop and think about that today, it occurs to me that my Beloved turns ALL things to the Good. And if I could just understand a little bit more than a cat, I would simply surrender to the Holy Will of God and I would truly have nothing to fear.
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.