Collars of Love

Now I will break their yoke from your neck and tear your shackles away. Nahum 1:13 (NIV)

I really love cats! However, they can be a little quirky—but so can we. I find myself talking to Gabby and Carrots as if they understand my ramblings. If you have a cat, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Linda S. Clare (All God’s Creatures) shares an experience with her cat, Melchior, about how she learned a life lesson from a compromise.

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Holding back tears, I stood in our new backyard, calling his name. Melchior, our big, gray tabby cat, had disappeared again, leaving his collar behind. I ran my fingers over his engraved name tag. “Come home, Mel-Mel,” I whispered. “We love you.”

A few weeks earlier, we’d moved two streets away. Melchior was stubborn. He not only refused to wear a collar, but he kept returning to our previous house. At more than twenty-five pounds, his neck and head were jumbo-sized. Yet somehow, he’d managed to slip out of several collars we’d bought.

I hopped into the car and drove to the old home, still calling for Mel. Once I spotted him, his ample girth made him slow and easy to catch. He was too large for a cat carrier, so I just set him on the passenger seat and headed home. All the way, I talked to him. “This is getting old, buddy. If I leave the collar off, will you stick around?” Mel said nothing of course.

I toted him to the backyard. There was no way he’d be happy as an indoor-only cat, so I offered a compromise. “I’ll leave off the collar if you’ll stay here. Melchior gazed at me with his big green eyes.

I wonder if God ever shakes His head at my own penchant for independence. When I slip out of the constraints and rules of life to roam, God doesn’t put extra-tight shackles on me to keep me in line. Instead, He showers me with love until I fall helplessly into His arms.

The next morning, I was astonished to see Melchior waiting for breakfast alongside our four other fur babies. At dinner, there he was again. In the days that followed, I didn’t force the collar on him, and Melchior stayed in the yard. What a gift that I can look to Mel-Mel as a teacher for deepening my faith.

Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the life lessons learned from Your various creatures. Teach us to take time to be more observant. AMEN.