Christian Living

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One of our cats, “Blackjack”, recently went missing.

Like most people who lose a pet, we created flyers in hopes that someone had seen him. UN-like most people, who describe their pet as “friendly and affectionate”, we went for the bold truth:

“MEAN LITTLE TWIT (but we love him anyway)”

The flyers never got distributed because the prodigal cat came home on his own, 10 minutes after we’d done all this work to launch his search and rescue. What a homecoming it was, though! He was scooped up, passed around and loved up—and then, as I cradled him like a babe—he glared, lurched and bit me on the nose.

Homecoming over with, he scrambled from my arms and headed for the pet door.

Blackjack is a beautiful cat, long, lean and solid black like a panther. As a kitten, he was a sweetheart, but now he’s reached the cat-year equivlient of the teens. I’ve tried making him a housecat, but some things aren’t meant to be. Miserably bonkers, he yowls for the world outside and converts into a flying squirrel the minute a door opens. Dealing with this spit-fire, rebellious, independent cat reminds me of how I must look to the Lord sometimes.

Here’s the pattern: I’ll wander into my own ways, realize it, and crawl back to the Lord. Things are how they should be until the world intrudes. A door opens and there I go, off on my own road which is usually heading in the wrong direction.

Sometimes I wish I didn’t have free will, because this battle between the spirit and the flesh gets exhausting.

“For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.” (Galatians 5:17)

I once had a Bible study leader who lamented, “I pray, repent and feel cleansed, but 30 minutes later, I’m right back on my knees repenting again.”

Another woman said, “I have to surrender to the Lord EVERY day,” to which someone responded, “Every DAY? For me, it’s every HOUR.”

It’s a war we all fight, one the Apostle Paul was familiar and concerned with. “You were running a good race,” he wrote in Galatians 5: 7-9. “Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.”

We can’t sin in one area without it impacting all areas, and it doesn’t take long for one sin to breed others. How easily that happens when we treat our relationship with God like a revolving door, coming and going depending on our mood, schedule or life situations. Bottom line: to live victoriously, we can’t function separately from the Lord. We need Him every minute of every day, which is why success comes from keeping Him foremost in our thoughts.

Success doesn’t mean were sinless saints. Only death or rapture will elevate us to that level, but putting God first increases the likelihood that we’ll be obedient to His ways. We’re more apt to follow His lead, know His will and catch sin before it takes off with a life of its own. When we do sin, we’re more sensitive to the Spirit’s conviction and quick to rectify our wrong.

Colossians 3:10 teaches that our new self (in Christ) is being renewed as we learn more about God. Overcoming sin, growing in the Lord and living an abundant Christian life doesn’t happen with the snap of a finger. It’s a process and we need to keep moving forward, as Paul taught in Philippians 3:13:

“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.”

To move forward, we can’t keep wandering away from God.

Just weeks since his disappearance, Blackjack has roamed off again, currently lounging in a neighbor’s plush back yard and ignoring my calls. Thankfully, he’s wearing a tag that identifies who he belongs to. He knows my voice. He knows home is where it’s at and will eventually return. When he does, I’ll welcome him with open arms.

That’s what God does when we return with sincere repentance—and no matter what kind of little twit we’ve been, He loves us anyway.

We just need to start unpacking and plan to stay home, instead of enjoying yet another homecoming before taking off again.

That’s like biting God on the nose.

© Donna G. Morton, October 2006

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