I made three mistakes this morning. Well, probably more than that, but three that I will relate in print. A stray neighborhood kitten boldly waltzed up to me as I came out to my patio. I couldn’t help but pick him up (aw, so cute, etc…). Holding him in my lap, I gently introduced him to my big black 60-pound dog, Buckley (also a rescue, I might add) and then supervised closely as they actually got to know each other, timidly but definitely. As they picked around each other, I decided to name him Viking (Vik for short) in honor of our new grandchild in Norway.
Then I fed him.
Okay, so that’s probably more than three mistakes.
Obviously, it took a little mediation to launch this canine/feline relationship. Buckley has a tender heart, but is blustery and weighs about 58 pounds more than Vik. Vik, even as a kitten, has retractable claws. And honestly, though I was out here this early Sunday morning to pray for the church, I’m thinking instead that perhaps God wanted to do the talking…about His family. Specifically:
- Some of us are big and blustery, some of us are quiet and timid. When we come in contact with each other, there are times we could benefit from some mediation.
“Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News.”
- Relationships can get inconvenient, especially when boundaries are still being defined. There seemed to be a few times that Vik needed a time-out from my bluster-Buck. He spent a few minutes under a rake, up on the patio wall, and of course, on me.
“Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”
- Diversity was God’s idea to begin with. Please forgive the mixed metaphor, but not all the plants in my garden are self-pollenating; they need a little help to produce fruit. In similar fashion, Vik can go places and do things that Buck cannot, and vice versa. In short, we need each other to accomplish God’s plan.
“But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you.’ The head can’t say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you.’”
Buck has already been looking for his new friend the few times he’s been out as the day progressed. The little bowl sits ready for some fresh milk if Vik shows up tomorrow.
(Kinda hope he does. We have plenty of mice in the area.)
Philippians 4:2,3; Ephesians 4:32; 1 Corinthians 12:18-21 Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
INSPIRATION with an ATTITUDE 