Dad had a knack for making almost anything humorous.
Angie, my sister, and I speak how frequently Dad’s amusing quips pop into our
minds each day. The following post recalls Dad's funny explanation from so many
years ago. It has been so applicable this year.
In
early spring one crisp morning I emerged from the house to feed the cats. We
have plenty of farm cats – the rodent extermination team. What a shock to see
an unfamiliar cat with our cats! Then that black and white cat began spitting,
hissing, and striking at any cat that came within her reach that morning. Upon
hearing that, I spouted out, in my firm teacher voice, to the stray ebony and ivory feline, “We don’t talk
like that here.”
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| The Look of The Masked Instruder when she arrived at the farm. |
As
I poured cat food into their food containers, I thought back to one of Angie’s
cherished cats, Duchess. Dad jokingly called her “The Old Lady Cat” because the
savvy, strong, sassy cat survived much longer than most of our cats.
The white female cat wouldn’t
put up with any foolishness from people, cats or dogs. Dad loved to relate observing
Duchess chase a dog under the yard fence. Unfortunately, the dog got stuck
exiting the yard. As the stray dog feverishly worked to free itself, Duchess attacked the south side of the dog wedged on her side of the fence.
Dad chuckled as he indicated that dog never returned.
Angie came from the
womb loving cats of any age, color, or breed. Whenever as a little one, Duchess
would hiss and caterwaul at another cat, Dad would say “Angie, she’s using
awful bad language.”
Morning
after morning, I thought of Dad’s humorous explanation for Angie’s disgruntled
matriarchal cat. As I tried to correct the stray cat I had dubbed “The Masked
Intruder” I smiled to myself as I looked straight into her eyes and said, “We
don’t use bad language here. Be nice.”
I
never wanted the Masked Intruder to remain with us. I was already in danger of
being dubbed “The Crazy Cat Lady” since we had several farm felines. We had no secret wish to operate a cat rescue or an unruly cat rehab. But as
with several dogs from previous years, she insisted on adopting us.
Over the last decade or
so of his life, Dad had four dogs adopt
him. Dad liked the dogs but knew the closeness to the road would never work
out well for a dog. He tried to dissuade each dog from staying on the farm,
actively seeking the rightful owner. Yet when he failed, he refined the
training of a couple of them. Alas, two disappeared and the other two became
fatalities on the deadly road.
It seemed the Masked
Intruder was determined to remain. Even though she was cautioned about her
exchanges with our farm cats, she adopted
Mother and me. She assumed the attitude, “You need me. I belong here. Can’t
you see I go everywhere with you?”
More
than any cat in my memory that has resided on the farm, The Masked Intruder
desired to be where her “people” were. Mother postulated she arrived here from
a one-cat family. My 94-year-old mother speculated the unwanted cat might have
gone indoors at her previous home since the black and white feline seemed
familiar with a door.
As
I experienced the Masked Intruder’s presence so many times when working outdoors, thought about my characterization of her adopting us. Phrases from the Bible using the word “adopt” or a
form of it popped into my mind. These included – received the adoption as sons, received the Spirit of adoption, and
predestined us to adoption as sons.
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| The Masked Intruder after several months on our farm |
With the trepidation of appearing irreverent, I realized, in an unusual way, the Masked Intruder reminded me of God. The Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:4 Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy without blame before Him in love. Clearly, the Masked Intruder chose us. I initially rejected her presence here on the farm. I spurned her insistence to interject herself into every activity I did in the yard. In the same manner, all of us chose to go our own path, disregarding God’s. Yet He pursued and chose us.
Meditating on this reality baffled
my mind as I wrote several years ago. Jesus the Good Shepherd hunted for the
lost sheep. The sheep in no way sought the shepherd. (https://bernadeanjgates.blogspot.com/2015/05/a-manx-kitten-english-poet-and-hound-of.html) None of us are searching for Him. We are wandering
our own way.
Just
as the Masked Intruder adopted us, so
we have been adopted by Jesus Christ. As we proceed on to verse 5 in chapter 1
of Paul’s letter to the believers at Ephesus, we read Having predestined us to adoption
as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.
The all-powerful Creator initiated the adoption of those receiving the
redemption through His blood. We had no power to inaugurate this relationship,
but thankfully He did.
At
this point the comparison breaks down. Unlike the Masked Intruder who sought to
adopt us for what she would receive –
food, God is seeking for us for what He can provide for us. He wants what is
best for us – not necessarily what we want, unless our desires are in sync with
His will.
For you did
not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,
but you have
received the Spirit of adoption as sons,
by who we
cry, “Abba (term of absolute trust and love for a father) Father!” Roman 8:15
But as many
as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those
who believe in His name; John 1:12
Behold what
manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children
of God! I John 3:1
Jesus
answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; And My Father
will love him, And We will
come to him and make Our home with him.
Lord, may I
embrace that I have not received enslavement to fear. Instead I have
experienced Your adoption because I received Jesus by believing (relying, trusting) in His name. Thank you for the immeasurable love You have
lavished on me and the unfathomable right to be Your child. I love You. Please
empower me each day to love you back by my obedience. May I seek to be aware of
Your promised, perpetual presence with me.
Last-Minute Update: Unfortunately, this friendly fellow pictured below arrived this week, two days before Mother's 94th birthday. (She did not welcome this tom cat as an early birthday gift.) Note the scratch mark to the right of his left eye. The Masked Intruder did not welcome him either. She has let him know repeatedly he had better not interfere with her life here on the farm! Her behavior had improved. However, this week she has reverted back to striking first with her claws and following that with "bad language." For some of us, old habits are hard to break.
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| The friendly tom cat begging to come in Mother's "new" front storm door. |
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