LESSONS FROM A LOWLY HOUSECAT (Part I)

     Upon reading the title verse, you may wonder is Job actually telling his friends to become “Dr. Doolittle” and talk to the animals?  No, he is not, actually; yet, given the extraordinary crucible of testing that God entrusted to Job in this  biblical account, I believe that most of us would totally empathize if he had directed those guys to seriously go talk to the animals!  The slightly sarcastic reply of the beleaguered Job reminded me of some lessons one can learn even from a lowly feline—our thirteen-year-old tabby housecat.  (Don’t laugh!)  As has been said of many U.S. presidents, people may love ‘em or loathe ‘em, but seldom are they (i.e., people) neutral on the topic of cats.

      Did you know that five years ago, domestic cats (AKA: felis silvestris lybica) had surpassed dogs as the leading household pet in the U.S. alone?  Without a doubt, one can learn some biblical lessons from even these lowly creatures.  For one thing, they put us to shame when it comes to persistence—albeit, we’re talking mealtime here. For reminding their humans about the need to feed, they’re more persistent than the widow of whom Jesus spoke in Luke 18:1-8, who sought justice from a judge. They are confident that with enough pathway interceptions (theirs into yours), you and I will stop to serve up the grub.  Just imagine if they had thumbs!

     Many Christians are hard-pressed to practice the acronym P.U.S.H.—pray until something happens! We much too quickly give up, contrary to the Spirit’s command in 1 Thess. 5:17 and Luke 18:1.  Secondly, even before our geriatric kitty became such, he has never needed to be nudged into nap or bedtime.  We can learn much from him about Psalm 127:2—“It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep.”  If our Lord commends our giving up our daily exertions (or even entertainment) in order to give our bodies adequate sleep, why do we so often resist the Spirit’s wisdom, compromising the functionality of our heart and brain, possibly incurring memory issues, says one Online article. [www. Healthline.com, Wellness Topics].
PRAYER:  Dear Abba, teach us anew how to learn and benefit from everything You’ve created in Your beautiful world—even the ants, birds, and lowly housecats!  Thank You, in Jesus’ name—amen!
By Sis. Denise Diggs