Why Carrington's Dish?
God’s lessons often come in forms we don’t expect. Take His creation for example, it
is full of analogies and parallels to God and His relationship with us. Pets offer many
great examples of the relationship between God and humans. We love our pets, play
with them, and are mesmerized by their antics. But, God teaches us a great deal through
our interactions with them.
Some of my observations are shared here. They don't come from a preacher's
sermon, nor do they come from some great theological book. No, they came simply from
my cat Carrington.
The Lost Cat (Sheep)
Carrington was God’s gift to me when I was broken hearted over the loss of our cat,
Charcoal. My husband had already asked me when he could put the "Vacancy" sign out.
Being the great husband that he is, he knew I wouldn't be happy unless I had a cat to
love. He's a very smart man; he knows a wife's happiness is crucial to his happiness!
I shocked him by saying I wanted to wait. When God was ready for us to have
another cat, He would provide. And provide He did.
It was late July and even in the usually cool North Carolina mountains, the air was
hot. I was visiting my mother for a few days when late one evening, I decided to step out
on the deck for a moment and gaze at the stars. When I did, I heard something crying
out beyond the end of her backyard. There were no houses behind or around their yard,
just an open field which ended by the side of a small river. What I heard was the pitiful
mewl of a crying kitten.
As if it were the most natural thing in the world, I called out "kitty". There was no
hesitation in its response, for a precious, white kitten bolted out of the brush and flew
across the yard toward me.
Several yards short of me, it stopped. I called to it, repeating that it was okay. I held
my hand out and begged it to come. The kitten fixed its eyes on me and stared. It would
not move any closer. When I moved toward it, it turned and ran back to a tree and
climbed it.
After running inside just long enough to grab a flashlight, I ran to the line of trees
edging the back of the property. There I found the kitten huddled on a tree branch just
beyond my reach. Over and over, I begged it to come, saying it was okay. The cat
refused to respond. It looked at me as if afraid for its life. It didn’t know me, or the fact
that life in our house was more than good, it would never lack for anything ever again!
Over the next several days, I persisted in seeking out this precious kitten. Once, I
found it in an abandoned shed, curled up on some oily, dirty rags. Its long, white fur was
matted with oil and streaked with black soot. I reached for it, but it wiggled away and ran.
Later, I found the kitten curled up in the engine of Mom's car. It was even dirtier at this
point. I pulled it out and set it on the carport floor beside a fresh dish of food. Rather
than eat the feast before it, it ran. I went inside, and waited by the door, hidden from
sight. A few moments later, I peeked out, and there it was, eating!
It didn’t take long for the kitten to start coming around every day at dinner time. The
food would be ready and he would eat and purr. After a few days of this routine, the
kitten started coming back later in the evening and crying outside the door. As long as
we would go outside and pay it some attention, he was happy and purring. The moment
we left him, he would start crying. It seemed he was beginning to trust us and wanted our
company.
When it was time for me to return to my home, the kitten had established a daily
routine of coming to eat and play. I knew he was mine and there was no question, he
would go home with me.
On the day of my departure, I packed him in the kitty carrier and placed it on the
seat beside me so he could see me as I drove. He cried out loudly as if in a panic. I stuck
my finger through the cage opening. He wrapped his paw around it and pulled it to his
nose and rubbed against it. Then, he made a sighing sound and curled up and slept all
the way home. It was as if once he knew it was me taking him away, then he knew it
would be okay.
God wants the same for us. He offers His love to us, all we have to do is accept it.
God's love is so great, He will search high and low for us. He will seek us out whether we
are hiding in a dark corner, dirty and forlorn, or if we're in the highest of places. He
doesn't care how dirty or messed up were are. When He finds us, all He wants to do is
love us, feed us, restore us, and spend time loving us.
What better thing could happen to us than to have God seeking, saving, feeding
and loving us? Why are we so fearful of what life can bring when we know God is there,
watching us, protecting us, feeding us and most of all, loving us? All we have to do is
trust Him, to accept His offer of salvation.
Life has not been the same at our house since Carrington arrived. And while I know
he is a bit spoiled, no cat could be loved more than he is! Even better, he shows me
daily, more of God's truths.
More Carrington's Dish
God’s lessons often come in forms we don’t expect. Take His creation for example, it
is full of analogies and parallels to God and His relationship with us. Pets offer many
great examples of the relationship between God and humans. We love our pets, play
with them, and are mesmerized by their antics. But, God teaches us a great deal through
our interactions with them.
Some of my observations are shared here. They don't come from a preacher's
sermon, nor do they come from some great theological book. No, they came simply from
my cat Carrington.
The Lost Cat (Sheep)
Carrington was God’s gift to me when I was broken hearted over the loss of our cat,
Charcoal. My husband had already asked me when he could put the "Vacancy" sign out.
Being the great husband that he is, he knew I wouldn't be happy unless I had a cat to
love. He's a very smart man; he knows a wife's happiness is crucial to his happiness!
I shocked him by saying I wanted to wait. When God was ready for us to have
another cat, He would provide. And provide He did.
It was late July and even in the usually cool North Carolina mountains, the air was
hot. I was visiting my mother for a few days when late one evening, I decided to step out
on the deck for a moment and gaze at the stars. When I did, I heard something crying
out beyond the end of her backyard. There were no houses behind or around their yard,
just an open field which ended by the side of a small river. What I heard was the pitiful
mewl of a crying kitten.
As if it were the most natural thing in the world, I called out "kitty". There was no
hesitation in its response, for a precious, white kitten bolted out of the brush and flew
across the yard toward me.
Several yards short of me, it stopped. I called to it, repeating that it was okay. I held
my hand out and begged it to come. The kitten fixed its eyes on me and stared. It would
not move any closer. When I moved toward it, it turned and ran back to a tree and
climbed it.
After running inside just long enough to grab a flashlight, I ran to the line of trees
edging the back of the property. There I found the kitten huddled on a tree branch just
beyond my reach. Over and over, I begged it to come, saying it was okay. The cat
refused to respond. It looked at me as if afraid for its life. It didn’t know me, or the fact
that life in our house was more than good, it would never lack for anything ever again!
Over the next several days, I persisted in seeking out this precious kitten. Once, I
found it in an abandoned shed, curled up on some oily, dirty rags. Its long, white fur was
matted with oil and streaked with black soot. I reached for it, but it wiggled away and ran.
Later, I found the kitten curled up in the engine of Mom's car. It was even dirtier at this
point. I pulled it out and set it on the carport floor beside a fresh dish of food. Rather
than eat the feast before it, it ran. I went inside, and waited by the door, hidden from
sight. A few moments later, I peeked out, and there it was, eating!
It didn’t take long for the kitten to start coming around every day at dinner time. The
food would be ready and he would eat and purr. After a few days of this routine, the
kitten started coming back later in the evening and crying outside the door. As long as
we would go outside and pay it some attention, he was happy and purring. The moment
we left him, he would start crying. It seemed he was beginning to trust us and wanted our
company.
When it was time for me to return to my home, the kitten had established a daily
routine of coming to eat and play. I knew he was mine and there was no question, he
would go home with me.
On the day of my departure, I packed him in the kitty carrier and placed it on the
seat beside me so he could see me as I drove. He cried out loudly as if in a panic. I stuck
my finger through the cage opening. He wrapped his paw around it and pulled it to his
nose and rubbed against it. Then, he made a sighing sound and curled up and slept all
the way home. It was as if once he knew it was me taking him away, then he knew it
would be okay.
God wants the same for us. He offers His love to us, all we have to do is accept it.
God's love is so great, He will search high and low for us. He will seek us out whether we
are hiding in a dark corner, dirty and forlorn, or if we're in the highest of places. He
doesn't care how dirty or messed up were are. When He finds us, all He wants to do is
love us, feed us, restore us, and spend time loving us.
What better thing could happen to us than to have God seeking, saving, feeding
and loving us? Why are we so fearful of what life can bring when we know God is there,
watching us, protecting us, feeding us and most of all, loving us? All we have to do is
trust Him, to accept His offer of salvation.
Life has not been the same at our house since Carrington arrived. And while I know
he is a bit spoiled, no cat could be loved more than he is! Even better, he shows me
daily, more of God's truths.
More Carrington's Dish
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