Friday, December 15, 2006
A Cat Tale The Return of the Prodigal
My friend Peggy shared this with me. I think you will enjoy it.
A Cat Tale
The Return of the Prodigal
All three of my children rescue and usually adopt lost and unwanted animals.
My son Chris takes it to the extreme. He goes looking for them. At least this was the case a couple of years ago. A local animal shelter had an abundance of cats and sent out a plea for homes for them. So off Chris went, fell in love with this huge gray male bruiser, paid the adoption fee and brought him home. How the cat became incarcerated only God knows, but now he was free and that’s all that mattered.
Chris named the cat Nero. (I questioned the wisdom in naming him after a demented king, but as it turned out it was quite prophetic.)
Nero quickly set up his kingdom and positioned himself on the couch above the other cats and dogs that shared his territory. They were merely tolerated. The other animals seemed to sense his authority. Nero would frown and they would give him a wide berth. All Nero’s adoration was saved for his rescuer. He literally worshipped Chris. He would allow other people’s attention, but when Chris was present he bestowed him with his loudest purrs and all others were soon forgotten. And so it was…until the move to Georgia.
All was loaded up and relocated: family, furniture, dogs and cats, including Nero.
Not long after moving to Georgia, Nero came up missing. They searched and searched to no avail. They don’t know whether it was the sudden life change and unfamiliar surroundings or a dislike to some of the newer additions to the household that sent him away. Siamese cats and kittens were brought into the home. Maybe he didn’t like foreigners. Maybe he wandered off to find some peace and got lost. Again, only God knows.
Almost two years went by. Then one day last week, Shanda (Chris’s wife), was on the way to the store and saw a cat that looked just like Nero. She called Chris at home and off Chris went. Sure enough, it was Nero, except now his name was "Bubba." Some cons on work release had been feeding him and had given him his new moniker. The "king" had lost his identity and become a Georgia "home boy." That’s what happens when you wander from home. If you stay out there long enough you will fall in with the wrong crowd, forget who you are and to whom you really belong. But Chris hadn’t forgotten.
He knew his cat. There was the missing tooth and the BB still embedded in Nero’s belly. These were scars of a past life, but now only served to prove his uniqueness. Chris said Nero was walking gingerly around the house, checking things out. Will he stay? Time will tell, but for now, "the Prodigal" is home.
Maybe you’ve wandered from home, lost your way and forgotten that there is someone looking for your return. Someone who paid the price for your freedom because He loved you. He has a place for you with Him where you will receive a new name, a kingship complete with crown and robe, a position of authority where you can rule above the issues of this life, and healing from the scars of your past life.
I used to rock my babies to sleep with a hymn that has these words:
"Jesus is tenderly calling you home. He’s standing at the portals, watching and waiting. All you who are weary, come home." Come Home.
Hear, kitty, kitty.
Peggy P/Dec 06
A Cat Tale
The Return of the Prodigal
All three of my children rescue and usually adopt lost and unwanted animals.
My son Chris takes it to the extreme. He goes looking for them. At least this was the case a couple of years ago. A local animal shelter had an abundance of cats and sent out a plea for homes for them. So off Chris went, fell in love with this huge gray male bruiser, paid the adoption fee and brought him home. How the cat became incarcerated only God knows, but now he was free and that’s all that mattered.
Chris named the cat Nero. (I questioned the wisdom in naming him after a demented king, but as it turned out it was quite prophetic.)
Nero quickly set up his kingdom and positioned himself on the couch above the other cats and dogs that shared his territory. They were merely tolerated. The other animals seemed to sense his authority. Nero would frown and they would give him a wide berth. All Nero’s adoration was saved for his rescuer. He literally worshipped Chris. He would allow other people’s attention, but when Chris was present he bestowed him with his loudest purrs and all others were soon forgotten. And so it was…until the move to Georgia.
All was loaded up and relocated: family, furniture, dogs and cats, including Nero.
Not long after moving to Georgia, Nero came up missing. They searched and searched to no avail. They don’t know whether it was the sudden life change and unfamiliar surroundings or a dislike to some of the newer additions to the household that sent him away. Siamese cats and kittens were brought into the home. Maybe he didn’t like foreigners. Maybe he wandered off to find some peace and got lost. Again, only God knows.
Almost two years went by. Then one day last week, Shanda (Chris’s wife), was on the way to the store and saw a cat that looked just like Nero. She called Chris at home and off Chris went. Sure enough, it was Nero, except now his name was "Bubba." Some cons on work release had been feeding him and had given him his new moniker. The "king" had lost his identity and become a Georgia "home boy." That’s what happens when you wander from home. If you stay out there long enough you will fall in with the wrong crowd, forget who you are and to whom you really belong. But Chris hadn’t forgotten.
He knew his cat. There was the missing tooth and the BB still embedded in Nero’s belly. These were scars of a past life, but now only served to prove his uniqueness. Chris said Nero was walking gingerly around the house, checking things out. Will he stay? Time will tell, but for now, "the Prodigal" is home.
Maybe you’ve wandered from home, lost your way and forgotten that there is someone looking for your return. Someone who paid the price for your freedom because He loved you. He has a place for you with Him where you will receive a new name, a kingship complete with crown and robe, a position of authority where you can rule above the issues of this life, and healing from the scars of your past life.
I used to rock my babies to sleep with a hymn that has these words:
"Jesus is tenderly calling you home. He’s standing at the portals, watching and waiting. All you who are weary, come home." Come Home.
Hear, kitty, kitty.
Peggy P/Dec 06
