Just as our juvenile cat learned to focus more on our family and how much we loved her and cared about her, so too do we learn to focus on God and how much He loves and cares about us.
We got a new little kitten recently. And when he arrived, our juvenile cat got a little bit confused. She did not quite know what to do about him. And during this time – in those initial weeks – our juvenile cat became afraid and spent a lot of time trying to avoid us and anything to do with us. Now, this was a terribly sad thing for us, because we really enjoyed spending time with our juvenile cat and we were very sad that she was suddenly leaving us behind and refusing to come close to us.
So, we spoke to the vet about what to do and he explained that as cats are naturally territorial, our current cat would be experiencing a lot of stress and anxiety in relation to welcoming a new cat to the family and as a result would need a little bit of extra tender love and care. Some of the ways that we could show this to the cat would be to pack the new kitten away and allow the old cat her space in the areas where the new kitten had now been parading. Another way would be to offer the old cat some extra treats and snacks that she loved so that she would like coming close (at least to get a snack) again. A third way was to be especially gentle and kind to our old cat so that she would learn to trust us again.
And so, my family and I spent quite a bit of time and effort allowing the juvenile cat to feel loved and welcomed by us. Eventually we put the two cats together and they got on quite well – cats apparently hunt each other when they play so they spend a lot of time pouncing on each other and running away…
But I have been thinking about this today as I have been thinking about God. You see, God is like our family with those two cats. He can see our fears – even though those fears are so senseless – and He waits for us with treats, which are like the Graces we receive on the journey. Sometimes, He removes distractions from our lives, just as my family removed the kitten for a while. And He does this – not out of vengeance or hatred, but out of love – so that we can better understand what to focus on. And just as our juvenile cat learned to focus more on our family and how much we loved her and cared about her, so too do we learn to focus on God and how much He loves and cares about us.
And today, I am so grateful for the time that my Beloved gives to me. Because without that time I would be completely unable to do anything at all, and I would be afraid of nothing – just as my juvenile cat was afraid of a little kitten. And nobody has time for nonsense like that…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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