When Jesus taught His disciples, He often spoke in parables. It seems that He still speaks to me through events in my life, similar to a parable.
Ten years ago, in a very unique way, God blessed me with a black tortoiseshell kitten. We became friends and she made me laugh, gave me love, protected my home from mice, and warned off the chipmunk on the deck and the birds near the windows. She passed away a few weeks ago, and I miss her.
Eight months ago, I retired and began a new routine which allowed me to sit on my chair first thing in the morning to read my Bible and pray. Her new routine was climbing up to sit on my lap before I even got situated myself. She didn’t want to just sit, but she spent the first five or more minutes loving me. She’d get up into my face and meow. She would knead her paws on me. My favorite was that she would sit on the arm of the chair and rub her head against my arm. (For non-cat people, that is their way of loving and telling you they trust you.) Eventually, I would pick her up and hold her against my shoulder and pet her and talk to her, putting off trying to read the Bible till she was satisfied. She would then curl up on my lap, purr, and eventually go back to sleep.
Somewhere during this ritual, I thought of how she looked forward to this time with me and lavished her love on me. The Holy Spirit made me wonder if I showed God that same eagerness to spend time with Him. Did I have the same dedication and desire to show Him such an outpouring of love? Was I just as excited to begin my morning with Him, thanking and loving Him?
I was ashamed to admit that I often fail Him, letting worldly cares take my eyes off of the One who has done great things. Who deserves all of my love and attention and thanks.
There were days that I was in a hurry and cut her time short. I became frustrated with her because I couldn’t get started reading and I had things I wanted to do. How thankful I am that our Heavenly Father does not get frustrated or upset with me whenever I come to Him! In fact, He tells me He wants to hear from me.
I miss her sweet messages of love for me now. Again, I am reminded that God wants to hear from us, to know our love and thankfulness for Who He is. Does He also feel the same sorrow that I do, when I don’t make time for Him?
Taking It Further: Do you find that you sometimes fail to meet with the Father because the world pushes in? How can you overcome that temptation? Or, have you experienced a similar lesson from a parable of your own?
