Judy and I are somewhat famous for trying to domesticate feral cats. These are the ones that are probably born in the wild and just roam around without a home. They are basically wild. We are on our third feral cat.

We don’t know what happened to Cat #1 or Cat #2, but we suspect the coyotes that live in the woods behind our house had them for dinner. It takes a long time to win these cats’ trust. Judy begins by putting some food out. I’ll join in the process, though you need to understand. I’m a dog lover…and I just tolerate cats. Well, over time these feral cats somewhat accept us as friends…or at least not enemies. And, depending on the cat, they may even become friendly toward us. But not always. They are wild cats at heart.

So, this last one has been around for a few months. When I get up early, the cat (we just call it Kitty…no real name) has been sitting near its food bowl waiting for me to bring it something to eat. In recent days it has even allowed me to touch its head. Almost petting it…but not quite.

Yesterday was different. I put the food down and reached out gently to touch its head…and he hissed at me! Not a little polite hiss. No, this was a full on “get away from me or you’ll be sorry” hiss. And he underscored his attitude with a swipe at my hand, claws fully extended. I got the message. And I told Judy, “That’s it for me and that cat.”

That was yesterday. Today…I got to thinking. I know it’s a bit silly to try to make something spiritual out of an encounter with a feral cat, but I couldn’t help myself. I got to thinking about God’s love for us. His provision for us. The way He provides for us in so many ways. Food. Home. Health. Relationships. Family. And yet there are times we ignore His blessings and may even take a “swipe” at God. The Lord’s chosen people did it. Read Exodus and other Old Testament accounts. The Lord does a miracle, and soon the people are grumbling. He rescues them from the Egyptians. And soon they wish they were back as servants in that foreign land.

And the people of Israel…began to complain. “Oh, for some meat!” they exclaimed. “We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted.”

Numbers 11:4-5 NLT

Ungrateful, to say the least. But what about me? I can look back and see days I enjoyed the “manna” from heaven in my life but grumbled about wanting more. Even worse are the times I just ignored God. I accepted His blessings but didn’t really want to have much to do with Him and His plan for me and for my ministry. (That’s part of the problem. It’s never MY ministry…it is the Lord’s.)

As amazing as that kind of ungrateful attitude is, more amazing is God’s attitude towards me. It is put beautifully in the hymn by Audrey Assad:

O the deep, deep love of Jesus
Vast unmeasured, boundless, free
Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me
Underneath me, all around me, is the current
Of Thy love…

Thanks be to God, His love is not dependent on anything but His nature.

If we are unfaithful,
he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny who he is.

2 Timothy 2:13 NLT

I never thought I would be taught a spiritual lesson by a feral cat. I may have to rethink my attitude toward that wild feline. Maybe you need to join me as I evaluate my attitude and actions toward our loving, faithful Lord.

God’s best…