Approaching God

In the midst of devotions this morning, one of the cats, Emma Lee jumped in my lap.

We have two female cats, Emma and Mia that come from similar backgrounds. We found Emma one fall day a few years agoduring one of our walks around the nearby university campus. She was scratching and dragging her way along the sidewalk. Her pelvis was shattered, her leg broken and her kidney's had been crushed. After several weeks of being nursed back to health at the vets, she pulled through.

Mia appeared on our porch last summer. We took her in when it became obvious she was going to have kittens. After the kittens were born and homes found for all, it was discovered that she has kidney failure. The vet said she might only have weeks or months to live, but she's loving, and we're enjoying whatever time we have with her.

Both of these cats remind me of how God takes us in; when we are broken and unable to care for ourselves, he finds us and heals us. Despite that similarity, Emma and Mia also remind me of our different approaches to God. Emma likes to sit on my lap, but only on her terms. She has to position herself in a certain way and if I move the wrong way, or there is the slightest distraction, she immediately jumps down and goes about her business. I know she loves me, if cats are capable of love, but she doesn't want to be 'that' close.

Mia on the other hand, would sit with us for hours. If we move, she moves with us and adjusts accordingly. More than that, she loves to be involved in whatever we're doing. If she hears a conversation, she will immediately leave her cat nap to situate herself in the middle. And, if there is work going on, even better. She wants to be a part of whatever we're doing.

I watch these two cats and wonder about my relationship with God. Does it have to be on my own terms, or am I willing and eager to be part of whatever he is doing?