Gods Little Gifts - A Cat Named "Shadow"
A couple of weeks ago my daughter and her husband went on vacation out of the country. A vacation my daughter had long wished to go on.
We had moved next door to our son-in-law, daughter, and two grandsons about a year and a half ago so we could, in our retirement be a part of their lives, assist whenever possible, see them on a regular basis, and impart whatever wisdom God graced us with to them.
It has been a blessing beyond measure and a daily reminder of how brief our lives are and how we must serve others and serve Christ whenever the opportunity presents itself.
We must remind ourselves that parenting and grandparenting may seem small in the many everyday things, yet it is enormous in ways that really matter. “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord” — a gift, an inheritance, a legacy. We should also pay close attention to what God calls a heritage. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!” (Psalm 33:12). You and I are his heritage — “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession” (1 Peter 2:9). And our children and grandchildren, whether they be biological, adopted, or spiritual — are our heritage also.
Children sweeten our lives without doubt but they also energize us to keep living and working and loving. They give us a durable and resilient joy in life.
As Grandparents, we are uniquely positioned to pass on wisdom and the value of a faith and life built around Christ to our grandchildren. This includes the value of kindness and service to each other and to all of God's creation.
So it happened that a day or two before our daughter left on vacation a small gray male juvenile cat showed up on her porch. It did not leave.
As we were tasked with getting our grandson to his first day and week of middle school and caring for both our grandsons while they were away we began feeding them at our house while they slept at their house next door. Our oldest grandson just got his driver's license so he was more self-sufficient and helped us with his younger brother.
Our youngest grandson fell in love with the cat whom he first named "Mr. Cat" and then after a week renamed "Shadow" because he was always with him. "Shadow" took up residence on our front porch. He now has a house and we care for him daily. He will soon be vaccinated and neutered. We are hoping to find a home for him.
Yet the possibility remains that he has already found a home, we shall see!
Why does God allow us to have pets? Like all things many people make idols of their pets just as we as humans make idols of our children, our belongings, celebrities, and the list is endless. But God has filled his creation with an abundance of animals and given us dominion over them, not to be cruel but to steward.
Job 12: 7-9
7 “But ask the beasts, and they will teach you;
the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you;
8 or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you;
and the fish of the sea will declare to you.
9 Who among all these does not know
that the hand of the Lord has done this?
Ask the beasts they will teach you!
I have no doubt that God allowed "Shadow" to enter our lives even if for a brief time. He was a great blessing in that our grandson was able to love him and serve him while his parents were away, thus reducing his anxiety and fear.
You just never know how God is at work in your life and the lives of those around you.
Thank you Jesus and thank you "Shadow"!!
Comments