Catvent: It’s Advent with Cats! Day 2

Have you ever noticed that cats are never busy, and always seem to be navel gazing? Or at least they would if they had navels. Anyway, I’ve noticed and I believe it’s an amirable trait.

Cats know how to simply be.

Unlike us humans, who can get so caught up with doing “stuff” that we can often miss the miracle. I think that might have happened to the innkeeper all those years ago in Bethlehem on that very first Christmas. The bible tells us that there was no room at the inn. Hardly surprising really, when you think that people would have been flooding in for the census.

That innkeeper had an opportunity to welcome the son of God into his inn, but because of all the crowds and hustle he just didn’t have room in his busy life, or his inn.

I wonder how many times I’ve missed the divine because I’ve been too busy doing “stuff”? I wonder how many encounters with the Son that I have missed, because my schedule has been too full? Perhaps like the innkeeper, the miracle has been right under my nose?

And so the son of God was welcomed into the world he’d created not by the innkeeper and his guests, but by simple animals, animals who know how to just be – I like to think there were even a couple of cats present.

So as we all hustle and bustle our way through December, it is my prayer for you that you will not be so wrapped up in the mundane, that you miss the miracle of Christmas.

 

 The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish. John 1:14 (The Message)

Catvent: It’s Advent with Cats! Day 1

I often act as if I have no need of you,

You enfold me in your arms, I struggle free.

Your overtures of love are met with coldness,

In spite of all of this you still love me.

 

When I’m scared you’re always there beside me

Watching over me throughout the longest night.

Your love is right there waiting when I need it

The darkness overwhelmed by your light.

 

I don’t know about you, but I’m one of those cat ladies – you know, the crazy kind – who likes to speak to my cat and then answer in his voice. So when I wrote this poem about Lestat’s relationship with me, I was kind of surprised when I realised just how much his relationship with me, parallels my relationship with God. It’s a sobering thought, particularly as we are entering the Christmas season and I contemplate the enormity of the gift that God gave us.

At this most special time of year, I am once again reminded of God’s incredible, unfathomable love. A love so all-encompassing that the king of heaven was prepared to put aside everything, in order to walk the same dusty, dirty road of life that we do. Imagine that for a moment. It’s pretty incredible isn’t it? As I sit and watch Lestat stare open mouthed at the sight of a bird on the wing, I am reminded of the words of the Psalmist:

I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous, your handmade sky-jewelry, Moon and stars mounted in their settings. Then I look at my micro-self and wonder, Why do you bother with us? Why take a second look our way?*  and I realise that my jaw has also dropped in amazment.

Psalm 8:3-4 (The Message)