(The person who shared the story will be referred to as
Neighbor just for clarity)
The story began with a woman who was dying. She was very
concerned about her cat. The cat was an outdoor cat and had disappeared for
quite some time. The neighbor went to visit the dying woman and she was asked
if she had seen the cat. Sadly, she had not seen the poor woman’s cat. Not
being a cat person she wasn’t really wanting to see the cat, but she knew it
was important to the dying woman.
Over time the neighbor had visited an animal rescue and met
this very cute cat. She wasn’t a cat person, but she liked to go to the shelter
and visit the cat. In time her husband told her she should go ahead and get the
cat, but she was not convinced, as she didn’t really want a cat. The shelter cat
was adopted out and a new cat took its place. So, she continued to visit the
shelter. Just enjoying the visits, never wanting to bring one home.
A few weeks before the woman across the street passed, this
ugly cat showed up at the neighbor’s home. It was skinny, dirty, had something
wrong with one eye, and its ear looked like it had been bit off by another cat.
Yeah, it was ugly. But she knew the cat belonged to the neighbor lady. So she
combed its fur and cleaned it up. It would disappear for a few days then it
would return, all dirty, and beaten up. So, she began to feed it, pet it, and
clean it.
In time, the lady across the street died, and the neighbor saw
her family. They explained that they could not take the cat. Since it was an
outdoor cat the neighbor said she would feed and take care of it. It was still
ugly, and she still isn’t a cat person (so she says), but the cat now has
someone who takes care for it. Of course her last words to me were that the
little thing has grown on her.
As I listened to the story (probably missing the details), I
couldn’t help but think how God looks at us. Dirty, weather beaten, even
damaged by years of wandering and getting into who knows what kinds of trouble.
Oh there are cleaner people, smarter people, even healthier people, yet God
welcomes us into his presence, he combs out our knotted tangles of life, he
washes us with his love, and offers to feed us from his table.
Oh, we may wander away at times, but when we return he
welcomes us back into his family. He doesn’t go out and choose the best
looking, or the brightest, nor the wealthiest. Instead, he goes to the poor, the
infirm, the outcast, the slave, the sinner, and he reaches down with loving
hands picks us up and says, “How would you like a new home!”
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