cat outside the door

EmPulse for Week of April 26, 2010

cat outside the door

How can you tell if there is a cat outside the door? If you own a cat (as much as anyone can own a cat) the probability and expectation is greater that there is, in fact, a cat outside your door; most likely, longing to be let in to be fed. Then it’s back out to do some seriously cattin’ around.

Some people think cats are sneaky, devious creatures. I think cats take on the character of their owners. Others think cats are lazy. They may have a point; most cats, from cutsie widdle kittens to lions, sleep 80% of their lives. [Is there a link between cats & teenagers!?!] But there are some who truly understand cats. They honor their independence while providing them with food & shelter. They don’t de-claw them—taking away their only means to climb trees to escape danger. Rather, they learn cat-whispering to inform the cat it is not OK to use the furniture as nail sharpening apparatus. They form a symbiotic relationship with the cat to their mutual benefit.

If you are a dog-lover you are now nauseated beyond description and want to vomit and write a really nasty retort to this emPulse. But bear with me a little, o impatient canine aficionado! In defense of cats are not so much sneaky as they are soft on their feet, silent, stealing smoothly into our lives. We may not want them always, but eventually, we will find them stealthily nuzzling up beside us, warmly purring, and making themselves quite at home. And, to our distaste, we find ourselves uncomfortably comfortable with that. We like it, but we will never admit it to a soul.

When I was eight or nine, I was sick a lot. I had a cat named Tabby. We snuggled and nuzzled constantly. I was perpetually breathing fur. When Tabby gave birth to her 4 kittens in the clothes dryer in the basement it was a wonder to behold to my young eyes. After awhile she would carry them up two flights of stairs to where I lay in bed, clean them up, daily, and leave them with me for the day while she went out, cattin’ around. She had come to trust me; and I would not let her down.

It’s that way with God too. For those of us who do not need to be smacked-up along side of the head, Christ waits softly, quietly, outside our door, waiting for an opening. He will not force His way in…, He will wait, and wait, and wait—just like a cat. When bidden an entrance He will graciously nuzzle up beside us and wait for our reaction. If we shove Him off the couch, He will get the point. If we relax and grant Him safe haven, He will become a safe haven for us as well. For there is a symbiotic safety in learning to relate to the Lord God on His terms and not on ours. “Trust in the Lord…, and lean not on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5) Trust is a two way street; but it starts with us.

Maybe it’s time we all reexamined the way we relate to the Lord God of the Universe. Think of it! A symbiotic-safe place found in Jesus Christ.  Like a cat…, outside the door.  Meow.

Have a nice week.

Gary