Cleaning
Beware of cat. Really.
We used to have a cat. Emphasize the “used to,” because I am not a cat lover. We originally got a cat as a young married couple because we knew we eventually wanted children and figured we needed the practice. It was a misstep because children will eventually learn to behave - cats are rebellious by nature.
You can get busy with the everyday issues of living and begin to neglect duties. It’s like making a bed. Sure, you do it every morning but begin to wonder why. It will only be rumpled again in a few hours. It’s when you start taking domestic short cuts that you find you’ve stepped into a snare. The messes you’ve neglected begin to pile higher and higher.
One of my manly household duties was to change the cat box. I remember once gagging at the pungent odor from the box and muttering something about scooping and burying more than just the poop - I was seriously considering taking our obstinate cat out for that long, final ride to the Humane Society. Puppies are playful and friendly, birds sing merrily, even ferrets want to romp - but cats sit and stare and pee on the furniture. They eat expensive plants, too.
One week, I ran a bit lax on cleaning the cat box. The beast had shown no gratitude or affection towards us, her human masters, and I didn’t want to be bothered. Frankly, I had grown a little weary of loving my unlovable cat. It was very early one cool Saturday morning, and I decided to go for a brisk pre-dawn walk. The cat was meowing and scratching but I ignored her.
Kitty had her revenge.
I slipped into some running shorts and a tee shirt. I didn’t wear socks because I was trying to build up calluses on my feet; (I’m not a big fan of wearing shoes on the weekend). I grabbed by tennis shoes and bolted for the door. Getting ready for a serious power walk, I dropped my shoes to the ground and slipped my feet in. And my surprised toes hit something gushy and revolting hidden within my left shoe.
The fetid feline had struck again.
Yep, the cat had decided that the litter box was just too full and disgusting to use, so she chose an alternative dumping ground - my tennis shoes! After the initial wave of revulsion swept over me, I began to seethe and made a quick mental checklist of ways to forever settle the score with the cat.
And then the Holy Spirit convicted me for not loving and caring for my cat. A refrain from Psalms 104:24 began to fill my head. “O LORD, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all; the earth is full of thy creatures.”
Oh, yeah. Can you believe cats were God’s idea?
Goofy as it sounds, I had to repent of my loveless, admittedly homicidal, thoughts towards the cat. After all, I was the one who invited her into my home. I was the guilty one who neglected to empty the cat box. And kitty was merely expressing her opinion of the distasteful situation. Apparently she wasn’t happy, either.
So I hobbled into the bathroom and gave myself a good foot washing, and then went and took care of the offending cat box. I gave kitty extra feline treats that morning to a surprising purr of appreciation, and then I went for my walk - barefoot, of course.
There seemed to be a change in attitude on both sides because from that day onward, kitty and I became almost friends. I took care of the cat box and she never unloaded in my shoes again. Of course, I still check the inside of my shoes to this day before putting them on. Just in case.
It’s easy to grow weary of doing the right thing day after day. Often we sacrificially love our co-workers and bosses who take advantage of us. We treat with grace and respect those who treat us with contempt. And sometimes we begin to seek shortcuts off of the highway of holiness because we have grown weary. There are times when it’s hard to remember that Jesus died for the jerks of this world, too.
Galatians 6:9 “And let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart.” God’s promise is that if we will surrender our selves to Him, he will give us the grace to love the loveless, and that we will inherit a blessing from him, if we faint not. In other words, if we won’t quit on doing things God’s way, we will receive a blessing from him.
I took a short cut to serving my cat and she gave me a fetid reminder hidden within my shoe that I was not loving her. And sometimes those unpleasant little surprises we step into are really disguised heart attitude checks from God. Walking in the Spirit often means stepping into the occasional fresh pile of cat dodo, and having the content our hearts exposed before the Lord. What we really are inside is often as disgusting as fresh cat droppings. Thank God for His overcoming Grace!
If you’ve grown weary in well doing, and you feel like fainting, and just want to quit, ask God for a time of refreshing. He is still the God of mercy and comfort and He’ll renew you inside. Or He’ll send a cocky cat with an attitude along to help you find a place of repentance and healing.
So when your time in life comes to clean the cat box, or love your loveless neighbor, or whatever unpleasant duty is beckoning, take heart. You can either inherit a blessing from God or a shoe full of cat fertilizer.
So watch your step!
Bryan Hupperts © 1999 – 2008
(Story taken from Bryan’s book A Raven’s Gift. Click here to order. )
SheepTrax™ features the wit, wisdom and deepthinking of Christian storyteller Bryan Hupperts. You may freely copy and forward this material provided it is not for resale or profit. All right reserved.
For radio interviews, speaking engagements, or learning about knowing Jesus, please write to: bhupperts@sheeptrax.com
We publish the Xpress every Tuesday. Subscribe with RSS or by clicking here: http://www.sheeptrax.com/contactus.html
