A Double-Minded Manx

    This devotional about Bob was written a couple of months ago. I had selected this weekend to post it. Little did I know that when Bob eagerly zipped outside on the morning of January 17, that would be the last time we would see him. Mother chooses optimistically to hold on to our neighbor's encouraging statement, "Oh, he'll show up."  Nevertheless, the smart orange and white cat gave us times of joy and laughter each day. As this posting reveals, the furry manx taught us many important lessons about life.

    The Orange and white Manx cat dubbed "Bob" by my mother would have been characterized by my father as a "sensible" cat. Bob obeyed and responded correctly most of the time.
    Anyone who knows my mother understands that she and Dad never allowed animals indoors. Dad recalled that as children, his sisters tried to bring cats inside their little two-room house. He indicated that Grandma admonished sternly, "Get that cat out of here!"
    Before my parents knew of my allergies, however, as a preschooler, I could bring a cat into the kitchen - this was before they built the new house. I remember a couple of indoor incidents.
    One day as I carried a cat in my arms through the old-fashioned screen door that operated on a strong spring. It slammed behind the tabby cat and me before the tame tabby's tail got through the screen door! Poor Tabby Cat instinctively bit my arm in reaction to the sudden pain in its tail. Of course, as a three-year-old, I responded with tears. Mother explained it wasn't the cat's fault for biting me. I should have been more careful with the screen door. She seemed to convey that perhaps I should have played with the cat under the tree in the backyard where my homemade tree swing hung.
     The final time I brought a cat in the house as a child occurred when I sat rocking the cat in my little rocker in the kitchen. I continued rocking the kitten until Mother turned from her canning to see that my eyes were watering profusely and swelling shut! After that I understood - no more cats inside the house.
    For the last year, Bob came in for about 30 minutes each evening. I monitored him closely. He did not go into the newly carpeted living room or other rooms but remained primarily in the long hallway. Of course, he initially did not like the ceiling fan in the living room when it was operating. Nevertheless, he stayed out of the living room in accordance with our wishes.
     Mother stored her old newspapers in a brown paper sack. Bob found that to be a fun place to play. That happened a couple of times, but just by talking to him, he learned to avoid that activity.
     Most of the time when I called Bob's name, he came lumbering, looking like a little bear running across the yard since he had no tail. Recently I called him. He bounced toward me recognizing it was time to come in. Probably the truth be known, he was ready to eat. However, he paused to investigate the bird sounds from the east mimosa tree. I called his name again. He resumed his movement toward the backdoor, but then he heard another twitter of a bird. Bob stopped again to see if that was a prey worth pursuing. Finally, he responded to my call of his name and bounded into the screened-in porch to his food bowl.

Bob in a moment of doublemindedness

      As I gave Bob a gentle pat before going out to check the cattle, I thought, Bob, we humans are much like you. We are doubleminded, too.
      James, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote about conflicting desires within a person, warring against others in relationships, and an ultimate sense of dissatisfaction. He described that as doublemindedness.
     The passage in James 4:7-10 sets forth the solution. Submit to God. Resist the devil. Cleanse your hands. Purify your hearts.
      Submitting to God primarily involves reading His Word and obeying it. Resisting the Devil requires that I flee - the verb used by Paul  -  from Satan's debilitating influence. Daily going to God in prayer with an attitude that seeks forgiveness for actions that interfere with my relationship with Him ensures a cleansing of my hands. When I reevaluate my thoughts and attitudes, realigning them with the principles that God set up for my success, then I purify my heart.
    Just as Bob moved into doublemindedness when he lost focus of me and my command to come, we fail to prioritize our daily relationship with Him and in turn, falter in seeking to obey His ways. Then everything else eventually "goes south." Our initial distraction from the Lord leads to succumbing to Satan's wiles, "dirtying" our hands, staining our hearts, and reaping the consequences of our doublemindedness.
     Eugene Peterson, the renowned professor and pastor of a Maryland church for almost 30 years, states this passage in his idiomatic manner in The Message. Yet it conveys succinctly what God inspired through James. May we take it to heart so we can still our souls and bring peace to our families and our nation by becoming focused on Him, turning our backs on doublemindedness.

So let God work His will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and He’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.