Cats Claws versus God's Love

Earlier today I was talking with Sue - a good friend of mine, with regard to my recent conclusions about having to face my past. Despite knowing I've got to go back and face some of my issues over the past, I am reluctant to do it and keep putting it off. While I was talking to Sue, a story from my past bubble to the surface and it proved to be a good analogy of what perhaps lies ahead:

Several years ago, when he was still alive, my mum tried to carry our Tomcat down the stairs. Nothing unusual in that at all... she'd done it countless times before, but this time was different. On that occasion, Mum somehow lost grip... and Tonic took a tumble down the wooden slope.

He was completely unhurt on the outside, but it had given him a nasty scare. From that day onwards, if anyone tried to carry him down the stairs, he would hiss and growl until he was put back down on the floor. He had lost his trust in people's ability to carry him safely.

This went on some time, until I finally resolved to do something. Tonic was sat at the top of the stairs, he wanted to go down but couldn't be bothered. He kept looking up at me wondering what I would do... but we both knew what he would do if I picked him up. Despite this, I knew what I had to do. I reached down and lifted up Tonic.

Sure enough he started hissing and spitting but I hugged him firmly but gently to my chest. I took a step down the stairs and it was then that I felt his claws go in just below my collar bones - OUCH.

I'm not one to give in easily and so I took another step, tighter went the claws. This continued as we went down the staircase... but I carried on regardless. About three quarters of the way down Tonic relaxed his claws and the pain slowly ebbed away. I went back and forth up the stairs several times. Eventually by remaining steadfast, I banished Tonic's fear to a place where it would not come back from... and restored his faith.

I believe God is saying that in my situation, I am just like that cat... and that no matter what nasty scares memory and time have lying in wait for me... they will not overcome me. He will hold me close by as surely as I did with Tonic.... even if it hurts him. As human beings we get emotional, especially when forced to confront something we find unpleasant. However, Christians know that we have a God who is steadfast, faithful and true. It doesn't matter how much our fear causes us to dig our claws in - he loves us all the same. Two thousand years ago, our sin, anger and fear... the things that separate us from God drew Christ's blood out on the cross. It is through that blood, that sacrifice we are saved.

If Christ was willing to bear with us to his very death, over our disobedience... then we can have confidence that he will still bear with us when we suffer and our sinful nature and vulnerability lash out at him because of our obedience.

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen." - 1 Peter 5:6-11

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." - Matthew 11:28-30

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." - Matthew 28:18-20

Earlier today, I listened to the U2 track that used to be on my website. Though the whole song is enlightening and relevant - I feel I may have kept you long enough, so I'll just quote a little from it:

Take my hand

You know I'll be there,

If you can I'll cross

The sky for your love

And I understand

These winds and tides,

This change of times

Won't drag you away.

Hold on, hold on tightly,

Hold on and don't let go

Of my love.

The storms will pass

It won't be long now.

The storms will pass

But my love lasts forever.

And take my hand,

You know I'll be there,

If you can I'll cross the sky

For your love.

Give you what I hold dear,

Hold on, hold on tightly.

Hold on, hold on tightly.

Rise up, rise up with wings,

Like eagles you'll run, you'll run.

You'll run and not grow weary.

Blessings

N

Farewell to Tonic

Tonic, our cat... brother of Gin... died yesterday. He had been having a little trouble breathing for some time, but it had got to the point where he could not curl up anymore, and he was sleeping outside at night, because the air was fresher.

Dad took him in for an X Ray in the morning, and we waited... hoping that it would just be a build up of fluids. It was not to be. Unfortunately he had a growth, the size of a golf ball on one of his lungs. As Tonic was still heavily sedated, the vet called Dad at work and asked for permission to put him to sleep there and then (there was nothing that could be done and it would have been cruel to let him come round... just so that he could be finished off later). Dad agreed, and Tonic: mighty hunter of birds, rodents and bats... now rests with his fathers.

I shall miss him. I said goodbye to him in the morning (just in case) and told him, not to worry because God would look after him if anything happened. Trust me, he knew his time was up, both of the cats knew. Ginny had been grooming him all week, and that wasn't normal... he usually wouldn't stand for much of that. Also, Tonic hated the vets, the mere sight of a basket would send him into a frenzy; yet, when dad brought the basket round yesterday Tonic serenely allowed him to lift him inside... with no fuss whatsoever. I think he knew his journey in life was nearing it's end... and he was ready to go... there was no fear, just a calm acceptance... time to go home. Animals seem to be more in tune with that sort of thing than we are.

Anyway, I thought I'd share a couple of my best memories of him.

He always used to sit on the doorstep and wait for me and dad to come home. Once , when he was relatively young... I had just come home from a weekend break... and I felt a searing pain in my leg, back and shoulder.... Tonic had run up the entire length of me and sat on my shoulder. He was also an outrageous fiend! He used to go round all the neighbour's houses, eat any of their pet's food and sleep in their beds. He totally lived the life of Riley! He was a complete bounder!

Ginny has always been the more nervy cat, bolting around loud noises or surprises... but it was always Tonic who suffered for things, despite being laid back. In his time, he was knocked down by a Land Rover... fracturing his leg and jaw, jumped off a roof to escape a massive, violent cat that hadn't been neutered... spraining his leg badly in the process; but by far, his most bizarre injury was in the late summer of one year. Somehow, he had managed to sniff up a seed... and it had taken root in the lining deep inside his left nostril. We only noticed it when it had grown long enough out of his nose for us to see, by which time he was incredibly irritable... poor blighter. The vet nearly had to resort to cutting his nose open to get at it, but fortunately after several attempts with the forceps... she managed to get the thing out of him. It was an inch and a half in length altogether!

He was always bringing something in that he had caught. He used to sit on the garage roof and swat down bats. One night, he even sat beneath a tree eyeing up an owl for supper (didn't give a second thought to the idea the owl might have been doing the very same thing to him!) Once he brought in a pigeon... nothing spectacular in that you might think, but when we took it off him and binned it, back he came two minutes later with another. This circle of events repeated several times until someone tracked him to a neighbour's house. The neighbour had been killing pigeons and had a utility truck full of their corpses! That, to a cat has to be the ultimate meal ticket!

So those are a few glimpses into the life and times of Tonic. It's better to remember him as he was, than to dwell on the last few days of his suffering.