The Problem Filled Life of Victor, the Cat
Lack of Believable Contents
Purr view
The Authors Thing
Introduction
Why Write About a Cat, Especially the Least of Cats?
Problem One: About the Sleeping Cat
Problem Two: The Cat has Priorities
Problem Three: About Mikes Supervisor
Problem Four: Victor, the Uninspired Cat
Problem Five: Victor Messed Up
Problem Six: The Cats Display of Affection Can Be a Hindrance
Problem Seven: Curiosity did What?
Problem Eight: Victor Likes Treats
Problem Nine: The Cats Fear of Mice (Is that really possible?)
Problem Ten: Victor and the Invisible World
Problem Eleven: The Least of Cats
Problem Twelve: Victor the Buzz Saw Cat
Problem Thirteen: Have you lost your identity?
Problem Fourteen: The Cat has its Place by Faith
Problem Fifteen Mighty Cat of Valor
Problem Sixteen: Unlike Victor, You can Make Your Decision
Conclusion
With Cats, No Reasonable Conclusion Is Ever Possible
Purr view
The following is not really a part of this series. However, it is the article that got me started writing about my cat. This is the “About The Author” blurb from my soon to be released book “Finding the Invisible God”.
The Authors Thing
To find Mike you must search among the unseen. That’s the first thing. It’s not that he is invisible; it’s that due to his advanced age, failing eyesight, fading memory, stumbling gait, and trembling hands he rarely ventures far from his recliner. Being out and about is no longer his thing. He takes naps and drinks ice tea. That’s his primary thing.
In spite of the difficulty, when the need arrises, he will reluctantly struggle to his feet to let his cat out. Otherwise there is no peace. That would be an unbearable thing. The downside of doing that is that the cat will soon want back in. That’s the cats thing. Cats are nearly impossible.
Mike has been born more recently than the invention of writing, but just barely. In the annals of history, he had written using typewriters. At long last, he acquired a computer. Even though it’s still a keyboard, it’s an improved thing. It’s a gadget on which it is very easy to correct mistakes.
Mistakes seem to be Mikes thing. Some new fangled contraptions do have limited merit. Each new page had initially been replete with errors and making needed corrections has been ongoing for months and counting. That seems to have been a hard thing. Mike is now eighty four and that’s a really old thing.
The past is behind. It’s time to do a new thing. At a time when God is doing an incredible thing in bringing His people together, many of us are moving farther from one another; we are keeping each other at arms length. While that may be our thing, it’s certainly not God’s thing. Bringing us together is absolutely, His thing. For the long term, that’s where we should go. That’s everyones thing.
Reading this book will require thought and that may be a difficult thing. Mike’s thinking may be new to you and may not even seem to be a viable thing. Hopefully, you can read more easily than Mike can write. Unfortunately, if you go at it too quickly, you may induce mistakes of your own into your reading of the text. You may not glean the meaning from it that Mike had originally wanted to convey. That might be a bad thing. Some of his ideas are not presented in the way the Bible has traditionally been thought to offer them. Struggling with that may not be your thing.
Many people, from all cultures and times have been in search of God. We’ll look closely into that in this thing. As we do, that’ll become a really major thing. Although “Finding the Invisible God" may seem to be a new thing, it is not. It is looking into the original very ancient plan of God in a new and eye opening way. That should be an exciting thing. Should you enjoy this read, that may be a very good thing. Hopefully, this book will help in your own search. If it does, that may well be an even better thing. If perchance it enables you to find God for yourself, that surely will be the very best thing.
Uh oh. The cat has evidently done his thing and wants to be let in. That’s the last thing.
Why Write About a Cat, Especially the Least of Cats
Let’s have some fun. Some things just make no sense what-so-ever. We do things that, when we take a close look, we cannot imagine why we would ever have done them. We sometimes even ask ourselves: Why did I ever do that? An even more intriguing question might be Why haven’t I been doing anything, at all?
Some things are habitual. Others may have been the easy way. We often go with the flow and seldom realize that we have taken the path of least resistance. To understand ourselves, it can be helpful to look at ourselves in a completely new way. However, that’s not what we tend to do. Only reluctantly do we accept any sort of change.
While we are creatures of habit, others are as well. Looking at things through the eyes of Victor the Cat may give us a lighthearted way to move forward. It’s not about Victor; it’s about us.When we understand that there has been no actual reason to have done things the way we have, it can become an opportunity to do better. There is always room for improvement; but, unless we really notice it, we will never change. A fresh way to look at things just might be in order.
Setting goals may not be our thing; but, without them things will usually go on as they always had. We may not be motivated to attempt anything different. Fortunately, there is one who always has our best interest in His mind. Did you notice the upper case H? God has His best for us in mind even when we could care less.
He is continuously working in our life to reveal Himself to us and to bring us to a place, first that we desire both a relationship with Him, and second to achieve things that are more in line with our own potential. We can accomplish more than we realize. With God in our life, better days are coming, even when we don’t anticipate them.
However my cat, Victor, is unchanging and that will almost certainly continue to be the case. His priorities may not be our priorities. We feeble humans, can often do better. For Victor, that may not be the case. Hopefully, through his eyes you will be able to take a closer look at why you spend your time expending little effort to go beyond what you have done in the past. A closer look and a new perspective can become an open door, a way to do better.
These short articles will be my attempt to help us see both how we have done things in the past and how we could do better in the future. Involving the Lord in our lives is the initial step needed to rise to the better way we can spend our lives. Without Him in our lives we will remain stagnant and achieve nothing that truly matters. It is through opportunities He provides that we are able to step up and make a difference.
Using Victor as an example will make it easier to notice the better way. God provides the opportunities; Victor brings them into focus. If he helps you rise to your potential, you can thank him by giving him a bigger dish of Meow Mix. He is easily satisfied.
Problem One: About the Sleeping Cat
Writing these observations has taken a great toll on the author. Mike is a man who requires his rest and takes great care to see that he gets all he needs. In order to master the art of obtaining enough sleep he has attempted to learn from the very best. Nowhere, nohow, by no means, is there a creature better adapted to garnering sufficient rest than his cat.
Victor is an absolute master at obtaining rest. Mike has observed that he is able to sleep in many different situations. There is a “cat tree” on which he can often be found. He sleeps on a chair in the dining room, on a sofa in the office, on the carpet in the living room, on the floor in the upstairs hallway and even directly on an open heat register. The one place he never sleeps is on Mikes bed. Victor would find that entirely too painful.
Mike also finds himself sleeping in more than one place. He is able to sleep to some degree in his own bed. Unfortunately, he is often awake for much of the night when he would prefer to be sleeping. He also has a recliner from which, laptop resting on his lap, he does the majority of his writing. The problem with that is that when he begins writing, he frequently finds himself waking up not even realizing he had fallen asleep. He finds himself awake at night and asleep during the day. Mike would prefer to write during the day and to sleep at night.
The cat does not suffer from reversed priorities. It remains solidly focused on sleeping. Victor not only sleeps nearly anywhere, he also sleeps nearly all the time. He seems to make no distinction between day and night, noisy or quiet, or busy or alone, sleeping well in all situations. He is asleep whenever Mike notices him and seems to have acquired that ability without passing through any sort of learning curve. How does he do it so well?
Even though he has had much practice, he apparently has come by his well guarded secret without difficulty. As the day progresses, there are brief moments when he does want to go outside. That usually lasts for only as long as is needed to pee. He then wants back in and quickly resumes sleeping.
There are occasions when he will remain awake for long enough to gulp down some food. On that account Mike and the cat do see eye to eye. Even at that, Victor is able to ingest his food without even bothering to pick it up. It’s always a rush job. The food goes directly from dish to mouth, a serious difference between Mike and the cat. At least Mike does not eat that way. Rather he eats hand, or in extreme cases, fork to mouth. Perhaps the lack of toil expended to devour its food allows Victor to remain relaxed and snooze the day away without difficulty.
However, while the cat has no apparent interest in writing, the author is not free from that desire. Mike must stay awake for long enough to complete whatever God has given him to write for the day. While his priorities are divided between the need to sleep and the desire to write, the cat is singularly focused on what to do next, sleep.
While Victor is an expert at sleeping, his extreme focus has made him a difficult example for Mike to follow. The cat has, so far, been unwilling to share the secret of how to sleep for twenty hours each day and still get any writing done.
Unfortunately it does not appear that the cat will ever share how that is to be done since Mike has, so far, never observed him writing anything. After all is said and done, perhaps Mike is doomed to continue sleeping in his recliner when he should be writing. Oh well, at least the sleeping part is getting accomplished. Mike is halfway there.
Problem Two: The Cat has Priorities
In order to accomplish nearly anything one has to establish priorities. If one has never actively addressed that need, it is highly unlikely that priorities will ever be established. For Mike, establishing them has never been something he has seriously considered. However he shares his humble abode with one who has clearly established them long ago. Perhaps they had been ingrained in him even before being born.
If maintaining priorities comes very easily, they are probably also well established. Since Mike does share his space with one who never deviates from his established priorities, he surely must have become an excellent example as to how to establish them. The difficulty for Mike is that he can only observe his example as he lives out his priorities. No verbal explanation as to how to go about establishing them has ever been offered.
There is a clear communication problem between us. The example God has set before Mike is unable to communicate clearly with him. Mike finds himself being confronted with his very quiet cat. Victor is a cat of few words. In fact, he voices only a single word for any and all situations. If that isn’t bad enough, Mike is rarely able to understand that word. Even though the cat has given him ample opportunity, he remains at a loss about how to grasp what the cat is telling him. Mike never knows, for sure, what Victor is saying.
Even worse, the cat has a never ending array of ways to use the single word that is at his disposal. Not only does the cat use the same word for all manner of expressions, but that word has a multitude of possible meanings. In English, we have words that have more than a single meaning. But, they normally do not have more than two meanings, while the cats single word has many.
Mike carefully listens but usually fails to understand. His failure is taking place in cases where the cat is attempting to verbally tell Mike exactly what’s on his mind (even though he consistently uses his one and only word to state his case).
How then is Mike able to learn the cats method for establishing priorities? The cat clearly has a plan and Mike regularly observes Victor putting his priority into action. Never-the-less, he has no idea how it had been established or how it had been put into practice. The priority of the cat is very consistent and easily observed. It spends about twenty hours each day highly focused on its one and only priority, sleeping.
Such dedication clearly points out the cats focus. Nothing can easily dissuade the cat and it remains rigidly secretive about how Mike might replicate its objective. Victors determination to keep secret how he has mastered the art of sleep has slowed Mikes ability to set his own priorities and has caused setting them to become difficult.
Mikes priority is not the cats priority. Mike writes; the cat sleeps. Never-the-less Mike would like to elevate his effort to write to the level of the cats commitment to sleeping. As impossible as it might seem, Victor sleeps about twenty hours daily and Mike would like to write something close to that. In a typical day, Mike now writes for one hour daily and sleeps for about twelve. If Mike maintained the same priority as the cat, that might represent progress. However, he does not but, never-the-less, seems hopelessly entangled in the cats secretive priority.
Oh, well. He has been awake for well over an hour and is now in need of some recovery time. After a refreshing nap, he will resume his attempt to establish priorities.
Problem Three: About Mikes Supervisor
Mike has gradually become a very old man. His present situation, which has come about slowly, has been unexpected. In days past, Mike did not live alone; neither was he old. He knew that others would gradually become old. What he did not factor in was that it would eventually happen to him. Neither has the cat made any mention of the encroaching aging issue.
Now, old and alone, he sometimes appears to be in need of help to look after him. Observers can also think that Mike is in need of supervision, lest he find himself embroiled in many kinds of trouble from which he would be completely incapable of extracting himself. It hasn’t always been that way.
However, most never understand that there is one, presently living in his own household, that continually tells him what to do or in some cases even what to think. It believes that Mike needs continual supervision. While he may enjoy brief periods during which he is allowed to do as he wishes, they usually come to a quick end as he is directed by his supervisor to do just what he believes needs to be done next.
When left to his own devices, Mike will often be found either writing or napping. He normally will go from one to the other throughout the day. However, when his supervisor notices him doing either, his peaceful existence will, almost certainly, come to a quick end. A special assignment awaits Mike. That may very well be to either open or close the door, or it can frequently be to fill a small dish with food that sits on the floor next to a cat tree. His supervisor is his cat, Victor.
Victor does not understand that he is a cat and that Mike is the one who both owns the house and is in charge. He has gone to great lengths to make the cat aware that Mike is in charge, not Victor. That frequently has become a bone of contention. Not that Victor is a dog. He usually eats in the same way as a dog; but, in terms of what he eats, no bones are a part of his diet. He eats Meow Mix.
Being a cat, it seems to be his nature to believe that he is in charge. Thus far, it has not been resolved just who actually is the keeper of the keys. The struggle for household supremacy is ongoing and no resolution is in sight.
Fortunately for Mike, feeble old man that he is, the demands made by the cat may be frequent, but they are few in kind and are normally easily satisfied. The cat wants out. The cat wants in. The cat wants to be fed. The cat wants fresh water in its dish. Oh, me. The strain on an old man is almost more than can be imagined.
There is one additional thing that is perhaps the most noticeable priority held by the cat. He also wants to sleep. Luckily, he is able to deal with that himself and does not involve Mike. He sleeps when, where, and for how long he chooses. When he elects to sleep for several hours (something that is ongoing throughout the day) it creates Mikes time of peace; he is then free to either sleep or write. In special cases, Mike can even be left alone to down a nice tall glass of ice tea. Never-the-less, using Victors example, not his directive, Mike will normally opt to sleep first.
How then, following Victors example, is Mike able to deal with the writing that needs to be completed. That is an unresolved question. No directive has come from the sleeping cat to help Mike complete the work at hand. Perhaps another ice tea may ease the burden.
Victor is now sleeping and Mike, at long last, has an opportunity to enjoy a tall cool glass of tea before he awakens. It will need to be poured secretively so as not to disturb the cat. Perchance, if Victor should discover Mike enjoying his tea, he would immediately require Mike to abandon it in favor of letting him out. Poor Mike. Such is the burden of sharing your domain with a cat.
Problem Four: Victor, the Uninspired Cat
If you have read any of my thoughts about Victor the cat, you have probably noticed that his day is taken up doing little more than sleeping. Looking ahead, he will really only think about where to spend his next few hours sleeping. It can be a difficult choice, for him. Should he sleep on a dining room chair, or should he doze on his cat tree. Of course, he could always collapse on a sofa in the office. Oh my, such difficult choices this poor cat faces. Exhausting! It’s no wonder he sleeps, so much.
When he briefly awakens, he will stretch, arch his back, look about, and then think about what to do next. It’s the stretching that prepares him to face whatever is coming. Victor is getting ready. He may want out; he may want to eat, or he may just die where he is and resume sleeping. He leads a relatively simple life (if you can call it living) as his choice has no long term consequences. His next thing will be pretty much the same as his last and he will have accomplished nothing. It’s okay. It matters not to him; one day is the same as the next.
He has no goals. What he has done in the past is what he will do in the future and the outcome will be exactly the same. Nothing different will result and he could care less. He could have done differently. But, Victor is solely of one mind. In the big scheme of things, sleep is all that matters.
I think, in some measure, we humans behave in the same way. We may look no farther ahead than Victor does. We do today what we have always done. When we have no plan or goal, one day is the same as the next. We plod along with little thought of what the future might bring. For sure, we are living with no thought that we might affect our own future.
We may not think of ourselves as sleeping. However, we can be wide awake and our accomplishments can be identical to Victors. We accomplish nothing. We do what we must to get through our day. But, where does that lead? Will what we do today have an effect on our future? We each have the same amount of time in our day that Victor does. We all have the same twenty-four hours and can choose how to use it. Victor usually spends about twenty of his in the pursuit of sleep. It never changes; sleep is all that matters.
I think it’s safe to say that if we go on as we are, things will go on as they have always gone. In Victors case, that’s all well and good. He has no aspirations of doing something more; he can sleep away his time and be happy. Well, maybe not happy, but at least content.
We may have been doing just as Victor does. While we may not appear to be asleep, it can amount to the same thing. Without thinking about where things we do will take us, we will end up going nowhere. Like Victor, we will do as we have always done. Today will be the same as yesterday. Even more limiting, tomorrow will be the same as today. Victor will, no doubt, sleep away his entire life and he can get away with it. He knows his dish will be full and he has no desire to go for something new or better. A full dish of Meow Mix is as good as it gets. Anticipation of his future is limited, indeed. That can easily lead to becoming uninspired.
Our own aspirations can be just as limiting. Our future accomplishments are determined by how we spend our time today. We can either make something of our life; or, we can sleep it away if we choose. Previous failures are not automatically repeated. However, they can become a significant obstacle.
“How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.” (Proverbs 6:9-11)
Obstacle or not, we can move beyond our past. We can do better. The opportunity is there to make something more of ourselves. It’s a choice. It may never occur to us that we have options; but, we do. Our time can be spent sleeping, or we can step up to the plate and attempt something entirely new. Nothing ventured; nothing gained. If we fail in any new attempt, nothing is lost. We will be no worse off than we had been and we can resume sleeping.
However, if we would like to make something more of our lives, we will have to expend an effort. Nothing is going to be different unless we determine to make it be different. It can be a challenge.
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9).
Doing better begins with a choice. We may have some difficulty knowing in what direction we might like to move. That’s okay. Even without goals or a plan, we can still improve. Experimentation is allowed.
If nothing comes of it, we are no worse off and we can continue to sleep our life away. If we fail and lose everything, do we have any less than we did while we slept? I don’t think so. If we have been doing nothing but sleeping, what did we actually have? We really had nothing and therefore have nothing to lose. However, we may have everything to gain.
In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty. (Proverbs 14:23)
We don’t have to be like Victor, the cat. We can try something new. We can set goals. We can reach out. Our life can become fuller and richer with each new step. There are new job opportunities, new hobbies, new friends to make, places that we have never been, things we have never seen and much more.
Victor will live perhaps another ten years. He will sleep his entire life away with no real future. If you do the same as he has done, you may live out your boring existence for many more years than a meager ten. It doesn’t have to end that way. Don’t be bored for the balance of your life. If you are sleeping, will anything you do help others? Be awake. Step up. Do something new, Set new goals and reach out. You can do it! You’ll like the outcome. You will be better than a cat. Go for it.
Problem Five: Victor Messed up
This morning I came downstairs and saw that my cat had become impatient and had gone downstairs ahead of me. Normally he sleeps upstairs and waits patiently for me to get ready. When I start down the stairs, he often runs past me to get there first. Once he reaches the first floor, he turns and waits for me to slowly and carefully navigate the stairs. In doing that, he almost behaves like a dog. He has his ways and I have mine. For me running down the stairs is a thing of the past. Even while using the hand rail on both sides, it’s a gingerly descent.
For Victor, today was different. He must have been more hungry than usual. When I got downstairs a disaster greeted me. He had knocked his food dish off of the cat tree on which it normally sits. It had overturned and scattered Meow Mix everywhere. He sat nearby knowing that it would fall to me to clean up the mess. Once I had put it back in his dish and returned it to the cat tree, he quickly jumped up there and resumed eating. He had everything he needed.
Ungrateful creature that he is, he never bothered to say thank you. Eating came first. The cat is not the only one who does that. I sometimes do somewhat the same thing; in my excitement, I may forget to thank the Lord.
While he had spilled his dish accidentally, he was unable to fix the problem himself. I have sometimes written about his number one priority being the many hours he spends sleeping. Never-the-less, for him, a close second is eating. He sleeps and eats. After eating, if all has gone well, he may prune himself for awhile before he resumes sleeping.
He had fouled up what is probably the most important thing he undertakes during his few waking moments, eating. He had messed up big time and was completely unable to fix it. Even eating his Meow Mix from the floor seemed out of the question. It had to be in his dish, on the cat tree and he was unable to make the change. It was only in such a difficult situation that I became important to him. Really it wasn’t that I had become important at all; his next meal was what was important. He had messed up and needed me to fix it.
Are you like Victor? Have you made a mess of things? Do you find yourself struggling to fix the problem yourself? All to often, we find ourselves in that situation. We have messed up and find ourselves stymied, unable to fix it. It’s only when God enters the picture that we begin moving ahead. At that moment, we have to first believe the scripture, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)
Not only will we be able to do it, but with Gods’ help, it will be evident that we will have done it far better than we would have ever been able to do alone.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV)
Others will then recognize that it has been God that made it happen. When it happens and we clearly could not have done it in our own strength, God will have revealed Himself to those around us. That is His purpose. The apostle Paul understood that; he knew that God is continually revealing Himself to unbelievers.
We often ask God to use us. When he does, it may be both when and how we least expect it. God steps up when we have shown ourselves completely incapable of getting it done. It is when He reveals Himself by moving through our own weakness, like Victor the cat, that we have been used. Difficult or not, it’s then that we rejoice.
Problem Six: The Cats Display of Affection Can Be a Hindrance
Have you ever had a cat rub up against your leg? When one does that it can completely stop your forward progress. It might rub against you for a couple of seconds or it might go on for thirty. In any case, when it rubs, you stand still until he moves on. Mikes cat,Victor likes to do just that.
When Mike attempts to refill his dish, he may have gotten to within two feet of Victors food supply but cannot reach it, having been stopped by his affectionate rubbing. The cat had initially been more than anxious to have his dish refilled; he was really hungry. He knew what Mike was attempting to do; but, in his excitement, he had actually prevented Mike from filling his dish. Meeting his own longer term need had been delayed by his short term rubbing. He had not intended to create a delay in getting fed; but, he did.
Have you ever considered that we humans might do the same thing. There are times when we need help, ourselves. Some things we just can’t seem to do. Some kind person might step forward and attempt to help us; but, we sometimes interfere. We want to assist them in helping us. What we needed was within reach and would soon be in hand. However, our short term desire had taken precedence over our, more important, long term need. Without realizing it, we had created an unintentional roadblock.
When someone is trying to help us we can get in the way; we can inadvertently slow down the whole process. Our helper had already thought it through, knew what to do, and had begun moving ahead. He had stepped up when we needed it most and knew how to get the job done while we clearly did not.
Never-the-less, in our enthusiasm we can sometimes get in the way. We might think we are helping when we have become the problem. It can be easy to think we have the answer when we have previously shown that we have no clue. We are at a complete loss as to how to fix it. Have you ever noticed a sign in an automotive repair shop that says: Labor rate $50.00 per hour; $75.00 if you watch. $100.00 if you help? The help we thought we could provide may have actually been a hindrance. Sometimes helping means to step aside and let the one work who knows how to do the job. That can be difficult.
God may have already put things in motion to meet our need. We then only have to watch and accept His gift of help. God does not need our help. He can handle things fine by Himself. Allowing God to work in our lives can be difficult. However, we need only to watch and accept his great gift. We have to recognize that we don’t have the answer, know that God does have it, know that He is about to fix it, and step aside and watch Him work. That’s what we call a blessing from God.
Problem Seven: Curiosity did What?
A common expression in vogue when speaking about cats is: Curiosity killed the cat. In these writings, I have never mentioned that my cat, Victor, is a highly curious beast. He literally pokes his nose into nearly everything. He can actually slow progress since his presence becomes an interference with whatever is happening. He wants to become intimately involved and his curiosity is what causes him to step up.
Misplaced curiosity may spell trouble for Victor, but it can get people into trouble, as well. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3:6 ESV)
Curiosity has never killed Victor. He continues to live. For Adam and Eve it was very different. For them it spelled immediate death, although not physical death. When they ate, they immediately died spiritually, meaning they were separated from God. In the physical world, they were kicked out of the garden.
Victor is very curious. He will poke his nose into everything. In the unlikely event that he is awake, he will get right up on the counter and walk across my keyboard just to see what I am doing. I am typing. So is he…. As he walks he trips several keys. Even a cat should be able to see what’s happening. But no, he wants to have a very close look.
If I struggle to get up from my recliner and gingerly begin to move, he is right there. Like me, he had been fast asleep, but the moment I showed signs of life, he had to see what I was about to do. He couldn’t help; I was only headed for the bathroom. He has his cat box to meet his own wintertime needs. The bathroom is off limits for him. He stands only about six inches high and is too short to go where I go. He needs a litter box, one at his own level.
We both appear to lead a very dull existence. He moves between wherever he had been sleeping and his food dish, while I move between my recliner and the refrigerator. I am uncertain whether I have learned from him or he has learned from me.
Of a certainty, activity is minimal for both of us. Fortunately for me, the refrigerator is only about fifteen feet from my recliner. That’s convenient for me and any noticeable sign of life coming from my direction is cause for Victor to become excited. He wants to check it out. A fresh ice tea might be my thing while overseeing me pouring it is what Victor is all about. He is not into ice tea; he drinks water (filtered, of course).
For Victor, curiosity leads nowhere. He doesn’t really understand what he has seen anyway. Computer keyboards are outside of his wheelhouse. Cat boxes and food dishes are more along his line. His field of vision is limited to what he can understand. However, by no means does he need to understand to become involved.
Is it the same for we humans? Do we curiously look into things that we don’t understand? Or, do we bypass them and stay within our comfort zone? Do we take the easy way or do we stretch ourselves. Curiosity is not always a bad thing. It can be a good beginning. To become curious about what goes on around us might require an effort of its own. However, if we can arouse it, that might be just enough to empower us to move beyond our daily grind and become involved in what’s going on all around us. As dull as many things appear to be, some of them are important.
Taking that first step is cause for excitement. What’s going on all around me? Do we want to help or just watch? Helping might not be in the cards, but watching might be. Becoming aware of what’s going on is a sign of life. We may not be asleep, after all.
Perhaps unbeknownst to us, some of what’s taking place can have an effect on our own lives. Do we want our lives being affected without having any input on what happens? Becoming involved can be major. Someone is going to make decisions about things going on all around us and we are entitled to have a voice in it. The first step is to notice what’s happening; the second is to become curious about it. The third is the big one. If we are interested, it’s time to become involved. We can become part of the solution, a solution that may have a direct effect on our future.
If you, like me, spend your time sleeping on your recliner, stepping up may seem like a major leap. However, you can do it and you’ll be better for it. You can make a difference. You may not want Meow Mix; but what if you want fresh fish? Who is going to make that choice?
Problem Eight: Victor Likes Treats
Did I say that Victor always knows exactly what he wants? Well, maybe I spoke to soon. His dish normally contains plenty of food. He could eat all he wants and never worry that he will run short. He likes Meow Mix and eats it every day without question, never tiring of it. However, He will rarely quickly jump up to go straight to his favorite dish of Meow Mix.
He is well aware that there are also special treats for him and he appears to want them at all times. It seems that he prefers them over Meow Mix. They look about the same. They smell about the same. They are about the same color. In fact, the treats are even close to the same size. No matter, Victor will hold out for treats.
He doesn’t run directly to his dish. He will jump onto a bar stool next to the counter and look at me, not at his food three feet away. His food was already in his dish. He could reach it easily. I didn’t need to be involved….except for that look, that constant expectation.
Victor won’t move from the stool to his dish until there are fresh treats in it. He’s holding out for his preference. He wants his treats. Dutifully, I slowly struggle to get up from my recliner, open the drawer where they are kept, pick up the jar of treats, open it, and shake it above his dish. Sometimes, I even allow a few to drop into it; but, not always. Victor wants a treat every time. However, a treat is a treat. He doesn’t always get some. They are special.
Victor does not seem able to tell whether I have even given him any or not. Never-the-less, once I have shaken them above his dish, he quickly begins to gobble down his food. I don’t think he can distinguish between Meow Mix and treats. No matter. He is happy and I can again collapse in my recliner.
It was not whether he had been given something special or not. It was the appearance of having received something special that satisfied him. It was how he thought about it that mattered.
Are we just like Victor? Do we always want something special? Do we want real change or are we okay with the appearance of change. Perhaps, it doesn’t really matter. It’s how we feel about it that matters. Like the cat, we can be fooled.
God is not like that. When He brings change, it’s real change and is always for the better. God wants good things for us. All to often, we tend to think that God will deal with us in a heavy handed way and fool us. That’s not the way God works. He is about bringing meaningful change to our lives, change that will cause us to grow (2 Corinthians 5:17). He is always bringing change to us, and always for the better.
We may think we know what we want. We may even be confident of our desires. However, what we want may not be the best for us. While we may not know what is best, God does know. But, He does not attempt to fool us; God wants to bless us (2 Corinthians 9:8). That means what He does in our lives will always have the purpose of bringing us to a better place.
It may not initially look that way. Learning to trust God, when the dish seems empty, can be a lifelong learning process. However, with God, the dish is never empty; it is overflowing. He may bring about corrective measures and discipline is never fun. However, moving to a better place may only be understood when we look through the rear view mirror. Looking back is often how we learn to trust God. Only when we see what He had been doing, all along, do we appreciate His effort on our behalf. He always wants the best for us.
Victor trusts me, even when I attempt to fool him. I want treats to remain special. Victor wants them regularly. God will be continually active in your life, always moving you to a better place. You can trust God far more than Victor should be trusting me. He is faithful. He can be trusted in the hard times. He will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5,6). You can believe it.
Problem Nine: The Cats Fear of Mice (Is that really possible?)
Have you ever allowed fear to get the best of you? It’s a common problem. Many of us have moments when we are afraid and there is often no really good reason for it. When we become afraid, our effectiveness comes to a screeching halt and we are unable to function. When push comes to shove, it often turns out that there had not even been anything to fear. God often tells us not to be afraid (Isaiah 41:10 and others).
We do not need to continue in fear. The author Mike has a cat, a scaredy-cat. Victor normally exudes complete confidence. Not easily shaken, he can accomplish anything he wishes and seldom seems afraid of anything. Many of us would be thankful, indeed, to live maintaining an aura of confidence.
Such is the case with Victor. Under most circumstances, he rules the roost. He is unstoppable. Whatever Victor wants, Victor gets. In spite of an ongoing language barrier between us, as soon as Victor places a demand on Mike, he immediately stops whatever he was doing to provide whatever the cat requires. Neither Mike nor the cat hesitates. The cat demands; Mike responds.
While he seems to have everything under complete control, there are times when Victor looses it. He can have his own unnecessary moments when fear seizes him and he no longer has things well in paw. He is an extremely cautious creature, so cautious, in fact, that anything the least bit out of the ordinary can get the better of him. It doesn’t take much for fear to take completely over.
For most cats, seeing a mouse run across the floor (that happens every winter) would bring them to life instantly. Cats are bigger, stronger, and quicker than mice. Victor is different. He is bigger, stronger and quicker, but he doesn’t know it. His extremely cautious nature makes him shrink back. As unlikely as it might seem, brave creature that he normally appears to be, he can actually be afraid of mice.
He really has nothing to be afraid of. Cats catch mice. It’s what they do. They catch them for a mid afternoon snack; but, they do it only when they are not afraid. The mouse, on the other hand, has an excellent reason to be afraid. It’s very life is in danger. Being eaten is on the horizon. One will run from Victor as soon as he appears. Mice know what cats are all about. It’s time to run for your life. They don’t know that victor is not the threat most cats would :be.
Victor has never caught a mouse and as long as he is easily frightened he probably never will. He has allowed himself to be afraid under circumstances that one would never expect. Cats only catch mice when they are unafraid. A mouse scampering across the floor, can cause Victor to run the other way. It’s the mouses unexpected movement can cause Victor to begin running. All the while, Victor has nothing at all to be afraid of. Until he learns that a mouse is no match for him, no doubt, he will continue in fear of a running mouse, even one that’s running away.
We humans are sometimes overtaken by fear just as easily. Our imagination can get the best of us. While fear can come on us unexpectedly, quite often, there is actually no real danger. We have become afraid because of our anticipation of danger, not because danger is actually present. On a bad day, we can be just like Victor.
In some cases, there is real danger; but it could easily be overcome simply by taking immediate action. It often turns out not to be the huge threat that we had thought it would be. We had allowed ourselves to be stopped by nothing when we could have easily become over comers.
Fear can be overcome: For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, 'Fear not, I am the one who helps you. (Isaiah 41:13). It does not have to cause us to be afraid when there is nothing wrong and it does not have to prevent us from moving ahead even when there is a significant obstacle. Quite often the obstacle turns out to be a much smaller issue than we had thought and our ability to overcome is much greater than we realize.
Victor could easily defeat the mouse; but, he doesn’t believe it. Often the most difficult part of overcoming fear is to believe that we can actually do it. Like Victor, confidence in ourselves can be a much more important factor than the actual ability to overcome. We prevail because we believe we can. God has promised that He would always be with us (Hebrews 13:5). That means He is there when the going gets tough. He is there to help us through. With God, all things are possible.
If you want to catch mice, you can do it. You do not to need to fear. Even when the danger is real, you can overcome in spite of it. Step up. You are more powerful than the mouse. You do not have to be afraid.
Problem Ten: Victor and the Invisible World
The author lives in the visible (the physical) world. Never-the-less, God is attempting to teach Mike how to function in the invisible (the spiritual) world. Mike is a slow learner; he knows relatively little about the invisible world and therefore does not function adequately in it.
There are those that do far better at seeing into the invisible world. Throughout the animal kingdom, Mike has observed numerous cases in which the beasts of the field seem to detect things taking place that cannot be seen. They often know storms are coming or there is danger nearby. Do the animals see them taking place even though they are invisible to Mike? Or, do they detect them by other means? Mike is uncertain how they know these things.
His cat is a good case in point. However, it is very private about how it knows such things. Victor seems aware of things that go completely undetected by Mike. Is his cat more intelligent than Mike is? The cat seems to think so. It has very little regard for what Mike thinks.
When he sees or senses something in the invisible world, Victor never passes the information along to Mike and while he may observe that the cat has had some sort of encounter with the invisible, Mike is left completely out in left field. He knows nothing about it.
Mike cannot detect any of them. He is expected to walk by faith, trusting God for what is to come. Victor does the exact opposite. He is walking by sight and passes through no learning curve to do so. The cat has it easy. Its entire life is that way. Its needs are met (by Mike) and it clearly has no worries. Everything will be all right.
Mike is also expected to understand that everything will be all right. Even knowing that all is well, he is continually struggling to accept that. Mike is in training. He will eventually pass from this life and is being prepared for what’s coming. God is in control. While he is slowly learning to live by faith, even now he has life eternal.
The cat is not asked to live by faith. Seeing into the invisible world allows him to live his life, actually being aware of things that Mike is not. He is living by sight. Some may disagree; but, the cat does not have eternal life and therefore has no need to learn how things work in the invisible world. It can already see there without passing through a learning curve. While Victor encounters no difficulty in understanding the invisible, neither does he have eternal life.
Praise God! Mike, on the other hand, does have eternal life, but needs to learn how to function in it. His struggle in this life is preparing him for what’s coming. He sees through a glass darkly (1 Corinthian 13:12) now; but, he will see more clearly in the life to come.
Many animals see into the invisible world. Already seeing there, the cat is being allowed to live by sight not faith, but, has no eternal life. While man is the only animal instructed to live by faith, he is also the only animal to have eternal life. Living by faith would be unnecessary if one could see into the invisible world.
Mikes inability to see clearly now will clearly lead to the better end. Even though the cat has a head start, Mike will eventually understand the invisible world more clearly than the cat.
Problem Eleven: The Least of Cats
God normally uses things to accomplish his will that are very small. He uses the least of men (Matthew 25: 40). While we don’t use that language today, He uses things that are very insignificant to bring His teaching into play. Sometimes He even uses a cat.
The reason He does that is to make it very plain that God has been responsible for whatever has taken place. He is identifying Himself by using someone or something to accomplish things His people could clearly not have been able to make happen on their own. In the Bible, those who stepped up believing God were always greatly used and did things that, on their own, were clearly not possible. Believing God is the crux of all that happens. While he tries, some days, believing Him is more than Mike can pull together. Mike has not yet arrived.
Have you given any thought to Mikes cat? He is not a large cat. Victor weighs eleven pounds. His owner weighs 190 (Don’t spread that around too much). Mike is much larger than the cat. To look at it from what ought to be the cats perspective, the cat is far smaller than Mike. Shouldn’t the comparative size difference be important? Shouldn’t the bigger one be in charge?
Be that as it may, Victor is completely unaffected by the gapping difference in size that is readily apparent to anyone. While the size difference would seem to be a problem, the cat forges ahead in spite of that obstacle. Mike, being bigger, should be in charge of the house and all that goes on there. At least, that’s the way Mike sees it.
The cat sees things in a completely different way. He routinely thinks he is in charge. Whatever he needs or wants, Mike should supply. Not only that, but he should do it very quickly. When Victor speaks, he expects Mike to listen. He is a cat with an air of great confidence.
It’s not a matter of how big he is, it’s a matter of who’s the boss. Size does not tell the story. The cat is in charge. Mike was there first; but, that means nothing. The cat is in charge. Mike even had the house built. Who built it means nothing. The cat is in charge. Mike alone owns the house. To the cat, possession is not nine tenths of the law; ownership means nothing. The cat is in charge. It is in charge because it believes it is in charge. Confidence prevails. No matter what, the cat is in charge.
However, there are moments when things revert to what might seem to be the way they ought to be. Victor can have an occasional bad moment and can momentarily loose control. If something sudden happens, a door slams shut or something metallic makes a sharp sound, the cat may lose it and run in fear. Only then is Mike in charge. The facts are not a part of the way things work. It is a matter of belief. The cat is in charge when and only when it believes it’s in charge. How the cat sees it is all that matters.
I know this may seem strange to an outsider; but, the cat also expects Mike to understand him. Here is where things get difficult. This cat only has a single word through which he gives all his directives. He thinks that should be enough. To Victor, an ongoing language barrier is not an issue. He, without question, demands that Mike understand him and to immediately comply with his wishes. However, Mike normally does not know what the cat wants. He does not speak “cat”.
No matter. The cat usually has its way. When it speaks, Mike is quick to respond. Mike not only does so, He does so in the face of having no desire to get up from his recliner to meet its immediate demand. Mike is not easily moved to compliance. If he is enticed to move at all, he moves slowly. He has his own priorities and is not anxious to be moved by the cats. However, he is moved by the cats persistence. It talks until Mike moves. Mikes response is even scriptural (Luke 18:1-8).
Do you face a really big hurdle? Are you having trouble dealing with it? You may not think of yourself as a cat (do you weigh more than eleven pounds?); but, you can move ahead with the same confidence that it does (1 John 5:14,15). Assurance is the byword. You can move ahead just as tenaciously as the cat.
If you are facing something that seems difficult or impossible, you can do it. It may seem overwhelming, and by yourself it might actually be beyond reach. In the natural, that is, it may be impossible. Alone, you may not be able to do it. However, with God, you can. Step up. Take charge. Don’t give up. Surely you can do at least as much as a cat.
What may seem to be too great of a challenge is really an opportunity. With God at your side, not only will you prevail, but you will become stronger in the process. You can do it. With God, cat or no cat, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).
Problem Twelve: Victor, The Buzz Saw Cat
Last night I woke up at about 2:00 am (a normal thing) to hear the sound of light snoring. I knew immediately what I was hearing. It was my cat, Victor. He must have been sleeping somewhere nearby. He always snores. Since he spends the vast majority of his time asleep, it makes sense that I would often hear him snoring; he wasn’t purring; this was different.
I don’t have to see him around to know he is sleeping. That’s a given. When I hear him, I know he is somewhere close. When he purrs, he does it quietly. It makes sense then that when he snores, he also does that quietly. His snoring did not wake me up; the call of nature did that. When I noticed it, I had to listen briefly to be sure what I was hearing. Until there was Victor, I never knew that a cat could snore.
My own case is different. I am told that I snore, as well. However, my snoring is not at all like his; mine is not quiet. When I snore, things fall from shelves. In my working years, when I would attend trade shows or sales conferences, our employer would assign us roommates. A couple of my fellow salesmen had pleaded with him not to ask them to room with me. The unending rumbling was more than they could endure. So, now in my retirement, I have a roommate who snores. What goes around comes around.
I can’t say that snoring is a bad habit; I never learned how. Good or bad, I guess I must have been born with it. Controlling it is not in the cards. The great shaking just continues on. Victor doesn’t seem to have a problem with it. Or maybe that’s why he sometimes sleeps downstairs, far from me. It evidently isn’t affecting our relationship. That may not be the case with humans. Some are bothered by it. Some cover their ears with their hands in desperation; others cover their heads with their pillow. It can be a long night.
You may or may not snore; but, there could be something in your life that others have trouble with. Do you have habits that have a negative effect on your relationships? Do you find that you have no control over them? You can’t seem to change? It’s alright. That’s just the way you are. Never-the-less, such issues can damage your relationships. Those closest to you might back away if they are unable to accept you as you are and you can’t change. It’s a Mexican standoff.
What you are doing may not be an act of sin. Not everything is sin. Some things people just can’t handle. God is different. He accepts and loves us complete with our shortcomings. God is the only one who consistently does that. He will go even farther. He will love us even when there is sin in our life.
While God will not allow sin to go on indefinitely without being confronted, He will never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8). What a comfort! No matter how badly we mess up, He will be there. If we turn our backs on Him, He will be there. If we forget Him, He will be there. If we wish He wasn’t observing some things that we do, He will be there. His love for us is unconditional.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)
The word created brings the intent of this verse to the forefront. We think of the creation as being the physical creation. In this case, that is what is being talking about. There is nothing in the visible world that can separate us from God.
The spiritual world can be another matter. The separation that, for many of us, clearly does exist takes place in the invisible world. Our place with God also takes place in the invisible world. While if we are to walk with God, it must take place in the invisible world. At the same time, it will be played out in the visible world. The two worlds interact continuously.
Being forgiven is the one and only way to God, the one and only way to create a relationship with Him in the invisible world. It’s easy to create one, though. All we have to do is to confess our sins ad ask Him to forgive us. It couldn’t be easier. While the creating part is very easy, recognizing that we are a sinner can be difficult. We may not already be where we think we are.
Although not everything is a sin, it might still damage our relationships. We know what we are like and are aware of our ugly habits. Knowing that they may remain with us, long term (even after we are forgiven), it can be difficult to accept how the love of God is poured out on us even as we continue to be imperfect people. As imperfect as we are, God still loves us. He is willing to accept us, warts and all, and will never leave us or forsake us. You can count on it. God loves you, even if you snore.
Problem Thirteen : Have you lost your identity?
If you have seen any of my recent posts on line, you may already know that my cat, Victor, has provided several opportunities to offer teachings through his everyday activity (if sleeping can be viewed as activity). When I began to write about him, I had no idea a cat that spends most of his time doing nothing but sleeping could provide so many teaching opportunities.
Victor had once been provided with a collar that included an identification tag. The tag gave his name and my phone number. He wore it in case he would become lost. But, Victor is not likely to become lost. He rules the world. I may not know where he is and I may become concerned that he has been lost. From his perspective, the entire world is his domain and wherever in it he is, that is his place. He is very certain of his own identity. He thinks the identification tag is unnecessary and He will eventually return home, with or without it..
It’s a breakaway collar. It comes off frequently. So that he will not get chocked when the tag catches on something, it will open and fall away. I am not sure that victor likes his collar; it frequently comes up missing. Today, Victor is without a collar; it has come off somewhere and nobody knows where. From my perspective, he is without identification; from his perspective, he knows exactly who he is. There is no mystery about it.
He knows just who he is and is very comfortable in his own skin (his skin is completely covered with some fuzzy grey stuff). Victor is not concerned whether we humans can identify him. He knows very well, just who and where he is. I don’t have to remind him.
I wish we were all like Victor. It seems that we sometime flounder over that. It’s who we are in Christ that matters (2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 2:10). While God has made us into exactly the people we are, we sometimes struggle to accept our place. We are all special in His sight. We only have to believe it.
Even though we have our own special place and identity, if we fail to understand or appreciate it, we will not reap the benefit to which we are entitled. Our identification collar will not breakaway. We will wear it continually; never-the-less, if we fail to know we wear it, we may not walk with the confidence to which we are entitled. God wants us to know our rightful place. Our place is permanent. The gifts and calling of God are without repentance (Romans 11:29).
Knowing our rightful place is necessary to walk with confidence in our present world. There are many voices that continuously attempt to rip our identification tag from around our necks. However, we cannot lose our tag; it is of a spiritual nature. God has put a mark on us. You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all (2 Corinthians 3:2 ESV). We are Sons of God and can wear our collar with confidence. While no-one can take away what God has given us, they can cause us to lose sight of our rightful place. Hold fast to what God has given you and you will do fine.
Problem Fourteen: The Cat has its Place by Faith
Do you find it difficult to truly believe that you have been forgiven and that your sins are no more? God said He would remove them from you “as far as the East is from the West” and that He would remember them no more (Psalm 103:12). That’s a huge promise. It’s actually unlimited and it’s so big that it can be difficult to accept. Would God really do that for me?
Many of us understand that we are far from perfect and know that our past should easily prevent us from being a part of the family of God. About that, we are absolutely correct. We are underserving. All of us are. “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Recognizing what we are truly like is a good beginning. It drives the point home very well, so well that it sometimes becomes difficult to believe God actually has a place for us in spite of our undeserving nature. It’s an incredibly big promise. Can it really be possible?
Perhaps an earthbound example might help. Let’s take a look at Mikes cat, Victor. He doesn’t seem like a bad cat. He never pees on the carpet. He is pretty quiet (until he wants out) and then makes only a relatively small fuss. The decibel level of his plea for attention is very low and if it were not for his persistence, he could easily be ignored. Most of the time, Mike is barely aware that he is even around (He’s usually off somewhere, sleeping). He is very little trouble and doesn’t seem at all like a special cat. The cat likes it that way.
It has complete run of the place. Mike is often a barely recognized part of his life (even though his home would not even exist without Mike). Mike has created the place he lives and Victor seems satisfied with the status quo. He has no place else to go and as long as nothing is asked of him he is content to reside with Mike.
He has no responsibility. He has no obligations. He contributes nothing in the way of covering the expense of maintaining the house. He lives there at no cost. He does nothing to help with upkeep. He has not earned his place. He is undeserving. Yet, he comfortably enjoys his warm comfy home.
He is also very confident that his place is secure. He was brought to the house by choice. He had done nothing to deserve his good fortune. Yet, he has no doubt that he belongs there. Mikes house is his house. He knows that his dish will always have enough cat food and that fresh water will be there for him. He has complete freedom to roam anywhere at any time. He has his own mansion that has been provided for him and he lacks nothing.
Mikes late wife had originally chosen Victor from among six other kittens. He didn’t seem greatly different from the others in the litter. She brought him home and he immediately became a part of the household. For his entire life he has a place that meets all of his needs and he really has done nothing to deserve his good fortune. Never-the-less, he now enjoys a permanent home.
Victor has no idea why he was chosen; but he has a home that is much better than a barn. He had been chosen and had done nothing to deserve it. Angie had provided everything imaginable for him. His new place exceeds his wildest expectations. Angie went after him, picked him, and brought him to our home.
It’s just that easy for us. We arrive at our new place just as easily as Victor had come to us. It was also unexpected. God had chosen us while we were undeserving. He has forgiven us of our shortcomings and we have a permanent place with Him. Shortcomings are not an issue. If we have a hairball in our stomach, God is not bothered by it. We have a permanent place and it’s free. The place God has for us exceeds our wildest expectations.
He did it for us while we were undeserving, just like Victor. We may not know why God has chosen us; but, He has. We only have to accept it by faith. If you have not done that, it’s for real. Have no doubt about it; if you have asked God to forgive you, your place is secure. You can believe it!. You can rest in it. It’s permanent. There is no payment to make each month. The price has been paid; for you it’s free. You don’t have to figure it out. Just like Victor, you can rejoice in it.
Problem Fifteen: Mighty Cat of Valor
Have you ever seen a cat that has accomplished as little as my cat, Victor? It’s not that he has accomplished a very small amount. He has accomplished nothing. I am not a person who has had many cats. Victor is the only one I have ever had; but, judging from my limited experience, it would not seem possible for another cat to accomplish even less than Victor. My late wife had given Victor his name and it was chosen because he had been born on Easter Sunday, alluding to all Jesus had done for us. Victor does not understand the expectations that she had for him.
Victor has never taken up the challenge that his name might suggest he could. He is a goal oriented cat, albeit it a limited one. He moves from where he has spent the past several hours sleeping to face the challenge of selecting his next comfy place to curl up. He not only wants his (perhaps undeserved) rest, but he is insistent on seclusion as well. A less inspiring cat, I cannot imagine.
Perhaps many of us continue on the same trajectory that Victor has taken. We are without vision for the future. If we fail to accomplish anything significant, it is surely difficult to see ourselves as a person who could accomplish things. The view of our capabilities will be based on past experience. We, no doubt, have a dim view of our own potential. With Victor, things continue as they are. Did I say continue? They are stalled out.
God, however, has an entirely different take on what we can achieve. In His mind, with Gods help, we can accomplish much. His view of our potential is not based on our past performance. He sees us as the way we can be, not the way we have been in the past.
It can be a challenge to see ourselves the way God sees us. God uses the least of men (Matthew 25:31-46). He wants us all to step up and take action while having a very humble attitude. At the same time, He places us in situations where we will need the utmost of confidence in ourselves to accomplish whatever He has called us to do.
However, humble does not mean we are to carry on with a defeatist attitude. Neither are we to be in fear. We are to be humble, but at the same time competent, brave, and efficient. It might seem to be a lot to ask of we who are “the least of men”.
Never-the-less, we can achieve more than we think. Gideon might be a good example of this for us. When God called him to lead the battle against the Midianites, he tried to worm his way out of leading the charge by telling God he was the least of men, the least able to overcome. He said his clan was the least in Manasseh (the least of the twelve tribes of Israel) and he was the least in his family (Judges 6:15). Gideon had made his case very well. He was the least of men.
It would seem that, up to that point, Gideon had not accomplished anything significant. He may have taken his lessons from Victor, the cat. If you never attempt anything and are never challenged by anything, you will never mess up. That’s the easy way. Victor understands, quite nicely, how very well it works. Sleep it off and tomorrow will surely come without his help.
Victor will allow any of us to carefully observe how he follows his own plan for what to undertake next. However, his expectations for me are quite high. He expects that I will keep his food dish full to the brim and open the door whenever he speaks up. I have to wonder if I can keep up with his demanding expectations. I have may own nap schedule.
If you recall Gideons story, you might remember that when God called him to lead the battle against the Midianites, He called Gideon: “mighty warrior” (Judges 6:12). He was encouraging Gideon. God expected him to step up to the plate with confidence. He was about to use his mighty warrior to lead a major battle and it would be a task that Gideon was not accustomed to being involved in up to that point.
The two ways we see Gideon are quite different from one another. He was both weak and strong at the same time. Being weak, he knew that on his own he could accomplish little. Being strong, he knew that with God all things are possible. Yet, both were part of what God was about to do in his life and both were key to the success of Gods plan, both for Gideon and his people. God had said that to be the greatest, one had to become the least. But many who are first will be last, and the last first (Matthew 19:30 ESV).
It’s not that we are incapable. It’s that we are to be capable while not gloating about what we can do. Our recognition will not come from what we say. People will likely react against our braggadocios attitude. On the other hand, when we say little but do much it will stand out. In Victors life, the exact opposite seems to be the case. He is very good at saying little, doing even less, and still going unnoticed. He is very quietly demonstrating what he is about.
You do not nave to be like Victor. You can step out and do things that go well beyond what you may have thought possible. You can do it. Don’t hesitate or doubt yourself. With Gods help, you can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13)! Somehow, I have not been able to get Victor to see it that way. He doesn’t see himself as either productive or useful. His is too busy sleeping to worry about it.
Problem Sixteen: Unlike Victor, You can Make Your Decision
As we turn our thoughts to the Lord for the first time, hopefully, we realize that whether we come to Him or not is a matter of choice. It is not automatic. From Gods perspective, He is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9). Many of us take comfort in that scripture, knowing full well that God wants everyone to enter into his kingdom. He wants us to do that so badly that He was willing to bleed and die for each of us. He has made the way. Spiritual death is the price for sin and God has willingly paid a very great price to rescue us from the fate we really deserve.
My cat does love me. Be that as it may, he has his limits. His quiet life is more important to him than my well being. What God has willingly done for both you and me, goes well beyond what Victor might offer up. While Victors love for me has its limits, Gods love for all of us is without limit.
While God is clearly willing, we may not be. Just because He has made a way for us does not necessarily mean that we all buy into it. We are each free to make our own choice. As always, God has His part and we have ours. While He has already done His part, we may not have done ours; never-the-less, it takes both.
Fortunately for us, our part is very small. We only have to believe and accept His great gift. As easy as it sounds, a great many of us fail to do so. We fail to address it assuming that since God is love, He would never reject us. That can be counted on. He never will. As great as that sounds, it does not necessarily mean that all is well. There is a relationship involved. When we come to Him a relationship is established, one that had not existed up to that point and there are two parts to it. He has His part and we have ours. Both parties have to be willing participants.
The first step is to recognize that no relationship is established without effort. We may think we have done it, but possibly not. My cat might be a good example. Victor never seems to know what he wants. That just might be the heart of the entire problem. He goes to the door and speaks the one and only word he knows. He may even speak it repeatedly and will probably continue speaking it until I reluctantly get up from my place of rest to let him out.
When I go to the door and open it, he may very often look outside are stare at the grass he sees just ahead (or snow as in the picture at the right). He knows it is within easy reach. To reach the grass, he needs to take only one last step and pass completely through the doorway. However, he often stands there, with me holding the door open for over a minute, looking out but blocking the doorway.
He is thinking about it and will sometimes even look back at me as if he is trying to see what I think about it. The choice is his, not mine. He is undecided, perhaps needing reassurance. Yet, he cannot go outside without taking that one final step. What should be very easy seems difficult.
Making a decision is evidently difficult for him. He isn’t sure. Outside lies close by; it is only a single step away and he knows exactly what awaits him. However, it is unreachable unless he is willing to take that final step. He is reluctant. He will peer past the door, being unwilling to pass from the house to the outdoors. He doesn’t know, for sure, what he wants. He is just like many of us.
Only if he needs to pee quite badly will he quickly step outside. In other words, he will immediately respond to his own physical need. The greater gift, to enjoy the outdoors, does not provide the incentive to respond to that opportunity the way his own need does. The short term trumps the long term.
Victor has trouble making a simple decision, one that would quickly take him to where he ultimately wants to go. So it is with many of us. What God has for us is readily available and only requires a very small step. As small as that step is, we cannot enter Gods kingdom until we willingly take it.
You can do this. If you have not considered it at all, if you think it isn’t necessary, or that it can be done in the future, it’s time to rethink all that. The door may not remain open indefinitely. I sometimes tire of waiting for Victor to decide. He assumes that I will hold the door open for as long as it takes.
He thinks he is deserving but never considers that I, and I alone, am holding the door open. However, I have my life and he has his. The choice to walk through it is his. Holding it open is mine and he cannot open the door for himself. Without me being willing, he will remain forever trapped inside the house.
For you, the door is open today; but, you will never know for how long it will remain open. It may remain open for only as long as God knows you are searching. It’s time to take a bold step into Gods kingdom. As reluctant as you may be, you can do it. Step out into it.
Accept the great gift that God has prepared for you. You don’t have to fully understand it. You don’t have to know why God has chosen you. You don’t have to understand what will come next. You only have to believe God and accept his great gift for you. He has opened the door for you. One small step and you are through.
To step through requires that you admit to God that you have fallen short and that you cannot correct it by yourself. Ask Him to forgive you and take you back. If you mean it, I promise, He will take you back in less than a heartbeat. Do it now.
With Cats, No reasonable Conclusion is Ever Possible; with God, however, it’s an entirely different matter.
As you have seen, Victor is a cat that sleeps much of his life away. Tempting as it may be, you do not have to follow his bad example. God has chosen you. Even though He has, you also must make your own choice. You have to choose Him. I did it over fifty years ago and have never regretted doing so. My life has been much richer for it.
That is not to say it has been free of problems. There have been many of them. However, all of them have had a purpose; they have gradually been bringing me to a better place. Many of us like to blame God when things are going wrong. Whether good or bad, God is always to be found in the middle of all that is taking place. We are being changed by our experiences and are being prepared for what is to come for all of us. God can be trusted even when all is not well.
It is possible to sleep your entire life away, just like Victor. I did it for a long time, but eventually woke up. You can do the same. You’ll be glad you did.
