TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2008
I’ve been pondering something for a few days. This thought process started one evening as I looked out into our back yard and saw a stray cat. He has been hanging out around our house and our neighbors for quite some time. Since it is impossible for my daughter and I to see a stray and not want to help, we have been feeding and giving him water. On many occasions my daughter with the huge heart has asked if we could take him in and make him our own. Oh, how my heart wants to be able to do that! But if I am honest, what holds me back from following through is what I don’t know about him. For instance, could he have some sickness or fleas or ticks that he could pass on to the cat that we already have? Could he be so sick that he might not even live for very long after we all got attached to him? If I had to take him to the vet, how much would it cost me to get him all the shots he needs and make sure that he is cleared of any disease? And then I feel guilty, so horribly bad! Because, first of all, it’s not the cat’s fault if he is diseased or malnourished because he’s been wandering around outside for so long. And second of all, I’ve tried to pet him when I see him outside. And I can tell that he wants to be loved, but at the same time, he scoots away just as fast as I try to reach out to him, because he is scared.
It got me thinking that in many respects, I, and we all, are like that cat. We want to be loved, but we’re scared. So we do what we think we must do to defend ourselves from being hurt. And we too, are full of the sickness called sin. Isaiah 53:6 says, “We all like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way…”
I also was reflecting on the fact that God could very easily think of me like I was thinking about that stray cat. I wondered whether it would be worth my while to take him in and love him. And I actually have let the things that could be wrong with him keep me from helping him more than just feeding him. All I can say is that I am so thankful that God does not think like I do. That He sees all that there is to see about me and still loves me. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.
And not only does He forgive, but He goes beyond that. Zephaniah 3:17 says, “The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing”. I am a stray who has been adopted into the home of my heavenly Father, who loves me, and you, like no one on this earth ever could.
POSTED BY KRISTIN AT 6:17 PM