Slipping Out
If I say, “My foot slips,” Your mercy, O LORD, will hold me up. Psalm 94: 18 (NKJV)
When I first got my rescue dog, Jazz (a senior chihuahua), every time the door opened, she was bookin’ it down the yard and across the parking lot. Even when I called her name, this bug-eyed, old girl would not stop. I got my exercise! Gratefully, there came a day when she realized where she belonged. Deb Kastner (All God’s Creatures) shares her insightful story.
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While our family has always had dogs, it’s only been about two years since we adopted our first cats. Yes, you read that right—cats, plural. We’d actually asked for only a single cat, but these two males were bonded black-and-white tuxedo brothers. How could we say no when the shelter asked if we could take two?
Not surprisingly, I’ve discovered being a cat mama is a lot different from being a dog mama. When a dog does something wrong and I catch her, she looks guilty and pitiful. When one of my cats knocks something breakable from the bureau, he looks me straight in the eye with a very clear message—I meant to do that.
Recently I’ve had a new issue with the boys. When I let our dogs out back to do their business, the cats have been sneaking out right under my feet. These guys are indoor only cats, and every time they get out, I experience a moment of panic. Most of the time they instantly realize they’re not where they’re supposed to be and slip right back in as if that was what they meant to do all along. The one time they found the nerve to go down the deck steps, they immediately returned and stood at the sliding glass door, waiting to come back inside. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.
I have to admit I’ve done the same thing in my own life, slipping out where I’m not supposed to be, realizing I’ve made a mistake, and then running back to where I was in the first place. I wonder if Jesus is rolling His eyes as He opens the door and lets me back in.
Ask and it will be given to you; …and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. —Matthew 7:7-8
Gracious and merciful Father, thank You for always opening the door for us and welcoming us back into Your Presence. Please speak to our hearts before we wander off. AMEN.