I'm So Much Like My Cat!

I love my cat!

I can tell you everything about my cat.  Her name mean "life", and I named her that because we were in a season where loss and death were all around us, and I needed "life".  She has extra long hair around her neck, making it look like she has a mane. She gets hot quite easily, so doesn't like to cuddle as much.  She has a stipe down her nose, that looks just like a pencil.  She has little light strokes of a lighter color above her right eye that makes it look like she is wearing eye shadow.  She LOVES breakfast!  She'll wake me up by laying on my face and purring.  If I don't budge, she'll go over and open the shutters.  When I ask her "what do you say?" when she is waiting for her scoop of breakfast, she'll meow her "please".  She usually greets me at the door when I come in and seeks a hello.  She loves to sleep on her back.
 I know her favorite toys. She loves to be held over my left shoulder, and hang over to see.  She loves her front paws massaged.  At night she "cuddles" for about five minutes as she climbs under the covers and stretches out next to me.

I KNOW my cat!

I take her with me on occasion in the car.  It isn't her favorite thing, but she'll go.  She starts the car ride out usually under the seat, and after time has passed she'll come out and join us on her blanket.  She'll voice herself to remind me that she is still there on a rare occasion. After we return home, she allows me to carry her in, and when she comes into the house she walks over to the other cats, making it known that she had time with me...and seems quite pleased with herself.

The one thing that saddens me about my cat is that she doesn't like to cuddle.  If only she knew how much I love her.  I want to hold her over and over again. 

I'm reminded of my Heavenly Father.  How much He knows of me.  He knows every detail .. how many hairs on my head, and freckles on my face.  What brings me joy ... and what hurts.  He knows the desires he has placed in my heart, and he knows what makes me really angry.  He knows my favorite things.  And even knows my quirks and habits.  He knows my thoughts ... and even my feelings. 

He KNOWS me!

He takes me on a journey from time to time.  Sometimes these journeys aren't my favorite thing to do, but I'll go.  I sometimes hid along the way, as I'm a bit fearful.  But at some point in the journey I come out, because I know God is there and I'm safe.  After my journeys with God, I come home and am quite pleased with myself as I have had my own special time with God, himself.

But I realize as I go through life, with all the bruising and scraps along the way.  I try and try to do things the way I see fit, I try to hold onto the struggles instead of them holding onto me.  But I can't help but wonder how sad my Creator is that I just don't allow myself to be held.  I don't think I know fully how much He loves me and wants to hold me ... over and over again.

I sure love my cat ... how much more does God, the Creator and Author, the Almighty love me!

Life IS a Highway

I went for a drive yesterday.  A very long drive.  It is my way of sorting out and letting my mind go, and have much needed and meaningful time with God.

I have so many thoughts, and much more feelings and needed to understand it all.  I left broken, bruised and battered.  I returned whole, complete and healed.

I drove and drove, what was once roads filled with cars all around me, ended up with not one around.  I felt as if it was appropriate as to life as I have known.  I have gone from spurts of much connection to a current time of no one around. 

I took note.  Sometimes we are in a "lonely state" because God is missing us.  He doesn't want to be replaced with people, demands or things.  He wants time with us, as much as we need time with Him.

So I embraced the loneliness, knowing full well I wasn't alone at all.

I came into a town - a very small town.  I couldn't help but notice that several of the homes had signs out in the yard stating what the owner could do.  If one could fix things, it was advertised.  If one knew how to grow special things, it was stated.   We live in a society that we go to our place of business that has their own signs, and we give what we have to offer - hoping we can fit in.  Sometimes it is a match, sometimes it isn't.  But we go throughout life, people telling us what we are good at, what we aren't.  Labeling us.  Hurting us.  Encouraging us.  How easy it would be if God would put a sign on us, that stated what we are good at and could offer the world.  Or does He? 

I was reminded of a children's book, by Max Lucado:  You Are Special.  It is about small wooden people who are called Wemmicks, all carved by a woodworker named Eli.  In the story the Wemmicks give each other stickers throughout the day; stars or dots.  Stars were the things they did things well or they received them too just for looking well.  Dots were all the things they did wrong, no matter if it was a mistake or not.  There is one particular Wemmick named Punchinello who received nothing but dots.  A matter-of-fact he had so many dots, that the Wemmicks just gave him more dots just because of the dots he already had.  One day Punchinello ran into another Wemmick who didn't have any stickers at all.  Wemmicks had tried to put stickers on her, but they just wouldn't stick.  Punchinello sought out why.  And that is when he learned of Eli. He went to Eli - ashamed of the dots he had, and surprised Eli didn't care of what the other Wemmicks thought of him.  "Who are they to give stars or dots?  They're Wemmicks just like you.  What they think doesn't matter, Punchinello.  All that matters is what I think.  And I think you are pretty special."

And as I was driving on my quiet country road, I saw myself with a whole lot of dots.  And realized that during my journey I have allowed these dots to stick.  But I came seeking God, and one by one they started coming off.  Just like those houses, I have a sign in front of me and it says:  I AM SPECIAL because I AM HANDMADE BY GOD! 

I took note of the road ahead ... no cars, peaks and valleys, literally in a land where there was nothing around.  And I took note at what I saw behind.  I didn't know what was ahead but I kept pursuing it.  I did know what was behind and kept at my speed to get away.  I noted on occasion I would pass a car who was heading for my past, as I was heading in his.  We all have our own speed ... some go through their journeys extremely quick, and some (like me) take their time getting through.  On occasion I would see a sign of warning. And sometimes I hadn't a clue what obstacle was ahead.  I also noted that when I passed I would get an occasional wave.  And when I entered back into the world that would take me home, I even noted that some were in their own world, almost causing me to have an accident.

Isn't that life?  We have peaks and valleys, and sometimes those peaks are easier to climb, and sometimes those valleys are long and dry.  We see others heading in the same direction we just got through.  We may caution others, but they still need to go through what we just got out of to get to their own destiny - and they have to go through at their own pace.  Sometimes we have signs of what is ahead and sometimes we don't.  Sometimes we heed the signs, and other times, we choose to ignore thinking it is for everyone else.  We get focused in our own world, that we forget there are others around us, and our errors can affect those around ... but our encouragement can affect those around too. 

So many observations on my drive.  Life IS a highway.  And God is there to orchestrate it all.

I was reminded that we are in a challenging time.  But if I keep pursuing through it, it WILL pass. I need to heed to the signs God gives me.  Receive the encouragement along the way, and understand the others that are trying to cause an accident in my life, or affect me negatively are in their own journey and need that wave of encouragement - called "grace".