I haven't written about my cat before because their was nothing good to say, and, if you can't say something nice, it's better to say nothing at all.
I adopted this cat when he was a kitten with a possibly crippled leg. As it turned out, it wasn't his leg that was crippled, but his attitude. He was supposed to be a barn cat, but he wasn't happy about it. Even when he was a little kitten, he would make his way down the road from the barn to my house. He refused his place.
You would think a cat that wanted to come to the house would be nice. He might even want to snuggle a little, but no. If I picked the cat up, he bit me. Every single time. Then, he jumped out of my arms. It was impossible to hold him.
You might also think that I would stop picking up the biting cat, but no. I was determined to gentle my cat.
I've had almost no success with my gentling plan. After five years, he still hasn't had his shots because I can't hang on to him long enough to get him to the car, much less to the vet.
When he bites me, I let him go. Every single time.
That's how we've rolled around here. He meows. I try to pet him. He bites. I can rub my hand down his back while he's standing on the ground, and that's it. If I don't put his feed out promptly, the biting begins.
This is no way for a cat to act, especially not at my house. I considered trying to find him a new home, but who wants a biting cat? I've offered him to everyone. They've all refused him.
We've had five years of my failed gentling program. Until today.
This morning, I walked outside and he rubbed against my leg but he didn't bite me. "I'll get your food. Don't bite me," I told him. He didn't.
I don't know why I reached down to pick him up, but I did. "I'm gonna pick you up, Cat. Don't bite me." (He has a name, but I've forgotten it in all the aggravation of biting.)
To my surprise, he let me pick him up. For two full seconds, he snuggled against me. He probably wouldn't want me to tell this, but he actually purred for half that time. One second of purring isn't long. I know that. But it's progress.
My heart soared. I had not only held my cat, but he had purred.
As I was holding that cat, I had just enough time to think, "I wonder if the prodigal son's father felt like this when he hugged his boy?" The answer to that question, of course, is no. He felt much better. His heart soared.
In a way, his son was more rebellious and difficult than my cat, but that father didn't give up. He kept waiting. Kept hoping. Kept praying.
One day, all his prayers were answered. A dust cloud in the distance cleared to reveal the figure of a man. As he approached, the figure became a familiar shape. Before long, he knew. It was his boy!
Oh, how happy that father was as he ran down the road to meet his boy!
It's a long stretch from a biting cat to a returning boy, but there was a time when I thought picking up my cat was an impossibility. Today, I was reminded that there is nothing that is impossible for our God. Not biting cats. Not wandering boys.
If you've waited for God to move in your situation, take heart. Nothing is impossible for God. No matter how hard it seems to us.
"But Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'" Matthew 19:26 esv
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PS - yes. I know that's a picture of my dogs, but the cat ran off before I could get his picture. And my dogs are nice, they obey, and they don't bite. Plus, it's a cute picture.
In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: Typos, Miscommunication, and the Doc that Was a Dog.
In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: The House of God in Us
Here's the link to the prayer guide: The Prayer List
Here's the link to my Global Outreach page (where you can support this ministry as God leads): Leanna Hollis MD
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