Christian Living

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The Three R’ s:
Revelation, Resolution, and Revolution

I never thought that I could learn lessons in spirituality from a cat, but I do get some vivid pictures of how God might view me from my thoughts about Gracie and her interactions with me.

I have jokingly called Gracie, The Lead Cat. I call her that because she gets in front of me and leads to me to wherever I am going although she has not a clue where that might be. She keeps glancing backward checking to see if I am still following her. As I consider it that is what I tend do with God, is it not? “Here God, this is the way we are going, You are still with me aren’t You?”

Gracie is demanding of her needs. That is not unusual because she has no hands with which to acquire her food. She cannot change her litter box and there is not much that Gracie can do for herself. That is the same with me and God. There really is not much that I can do for myself. Of all the things that keep my life ongoing, God must do for me. So I do for Gracie and so God does for me. It’s the attitude after the doing of that is so reprehensible.

After Gracie has nagged me out of sleep to get her food and I have obligingly done it, she will go directly and do an act that she knows is not pleasing to me. She will get into my easy chair unless I have deliberately blocked her from doing so. When I tell her to move out of it, she looks arrogantly at me as if to say, “I have a right!” and she clutches the pillow that is in the chair as if to say, “No! This is what I want!” Oh, I see myself with God in this picture. I believe I can identify with how He must feel about me when He has been so gracious to provide for me and I do not appreciate Him enough to honor His rules. The effect that Gracie’s actions have on me is to give me the attitude of, “Just wait,” the next time Gracie wants what she wants, when she wants it.

I wonder how much of life’s blessings we defer or delete from our lives by the arrogances that we display toward God? We humans like very much to divest God of any emotion except that of benevolent LOVE. But when we read the Scriptures and the history of His interactions with mankind, we clearly see that He is a God of strong emotion. Further, since we are made in His image, we should know that He has the same feelings we do, humor, laughter, anger, love, hate, jealousy. Yes, God declares that He hates evil. God declares that He is jealous for the affections of His people.

God holds the power to give or to defer the giving of life’s gifts, just as I hold the power to withhold or to delay delights from the cat whose deeds are irritating and ungrateful. As God always does, so do I eventually give the need anyway, but not with the joy with which it could have been given. I give the need because of mercy extended. I give it because of who I am and because she is helpless. That is the way God gives to me also; not because I deserve His provision, but because of who and how He is.

I expect I will learn more spiritual lessons from Gracie. These incidents do help me to comply with God’s desires for me to honor and to respect Him for all that He does for me; for as Gracie has nothing with which to provide her needs, so I have nothing to provide for mine. God provides for me. He provides even the job at which I work which provides me money with which to purchase the things I need.

This year I want to be more thankful to God, but even more than thankful, I want to be more obedient.

Jesus said, IF you love ME, you will keep My commandments.”

I have a revelation. I make a resolution. I will effect a revolution in my life because I will show my love and thankfulness to Him by my obedience.

Ramona 2011-01-01

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