Three things happened last weekend:
1. Someone I admire was arrested for DUI.
2. Our dog killed a cat in our backyard.
3. I heard an amazing story of how God pursued a lady.
I am going with #2 first (they all are tied together). At 3am Sunday morning our non-barking Siberian Husky, Taco, starting barking incessantly. Hubby got up at 5am and took a flashlight outside to see what it was. Taco had his paws up on a tree and was barking up at it. There was a large cat up in the tree. At 7am I got up to the boys excitement about the cat. Our whole family loves cats and would have another one if it weren’t for the allergies.
Twin A quickly climbed the tree trying to help the cat. Twin B stood at the base of the tree trying to offer up advise on how to get the cat down. Tacoma continued to bark loudly up at the cat. Still in my pajamas, I walked outside and tried to call, and then bribe with a treat, Taco to come inside, so the poor cat can get away.
Everything happened so quickly. The cat hissed and swiped his claw at Twin A in the tree. Then, the cat either fell or finally jumped down to flee. Taco darted to chase the cat and dirt flew up in the air, with the cat hissing and meowing and the dog fully focused on the pursuit.
Somehow, the cat managed to make it to the top of the chain link fence. I am not sure how because clearly Taco had wounded him with either his teeth or his paws or both. Twin B ran to the fence to try to help the cat. Taco continued to frantically bark, run, and jump up against the fence. The poor cat was half stuck, half dangling from the top of the fence. His back legs were on the neighbor’s side of the fence. His head, body and front legs were hanging down the fence on our side. I wondered if he were dead already.
I started screaming for Taco to come in and calling for Twin B to get away from the fence. Taco jumped up against the fence and caused the cat to fall down in our yard. Taco pounced on him and that was the end for the cat. It was not a pretty sight to watch.
Later, I started thinking about it and although I was still mad at Taco, really, the cat should not have been in our yard. He should have been safe at his own house. Then, none of this would have happened.
It reminded me of how we are with sin. We wander away from the Lord and wander into sin’s backyard. Soon, we find ourselves stuck up a tree with no way out of our mess. The world, like Twin A, tries to offer help, worldly advise, Oprah, self- help books. Even though the world may mean well, it can’t help us. The enemy of our souls ( in this case Taco) can not wait to steal, kill and destroy us. Sometimes, even when we make a mad dash to flee the backyard of sin, we linger too long on the fence. We are not sure we want to leave all the excitement. We straddle the fence, one leg wanting to follow God and one leg still in the sin. Although, in our case the enemy did kill the cat, I am so grateful that in real life God always provides a way out.
I was so grateful to finally get to church that morning. In the new member’s class I get to hear people’s stories of how God saved them. The most amazing one this week was a lady who said she went skiing every weekend when she was a teenager. When she was 17, and was riding up on a ski lift, a couple shared with her how much God loved her. She prayed to receive Him right there ON THE SKI LIFT CHAIR! I love that! She was not going to church, so God went where she was and rescued her on the ski mountain.
I love that about God! He loves us so much that He comes to us and saves us. Like our friend with the DUI, God rescued him too. God brought our friend, although very broken and embarrassed, out of the backyard of sin, in his case alcohol, and rescued and redeemed him too.
I just love that about God!
