* As realized by my son
** Luna, by the way, is my kitty
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“until he finds it”
Luke 15:4
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As I mentioned recently, my pretty kitty Luna went missing for 24 hours last week. And my boy and I made an interesting observation about the situation today.
We were sitting in his room doing Algebra. His window was open because, well, it’s Southern California, and it’s incessantly lovely outside. After a few minutes, Luna came into the room and jumped up onto the windowsill to enjoy the outside air. But she wasn’t there long before three or four neighbors came out of their house, chatting, and climbed in their car and drove away. And from all the way across the street, Luna was startled enough to hurriedly jump down from the windowsill and seek a safer place to be in the room.
My boy and I kinda rolled our eyes at her silliness. We knew, of course, that she was never in any danger. She’s far more skittish than the other cats I’ve owned in my adulthood. And I thought, not for the first time, that it’s important who a pet’s owner is. I realized that more than our getting her because we wanted a cat, she needs us, too. She needs owners with understanding and compassion for her little quirks.
Now, for the 24 hours that she was missing, she was searched for. We realized afterward that she had spent that whole time in our next-door neighbor’s yard, hiding in a corner, sheltered by old boards and plants and that stuff you stick in the corner of your backyard because you don’t know what to do with it.
But it was the corner of their yard that is closest to our yard. Just over the fence. Which means that all the calling to her, the little soothing noises, the waving of the enticing-smelling cat food can…. all of that, she ignored. She was so frightened, that she chose what she felt was safety, over the home that provided her with actual safety, along with food and water.
What my son said was, “It’s a silly sheep that won’t come, even when the shepherd is calling to her.” And then he looked at me and said, “That’s a blog post.”
He’s right, of course. The Bible talks about our being sheep, and Jesus being our Shepherd. About our knowing His voice. But life is scary sometimes. That’s the lesson of Luna. Sometimes He calls us out of a situation and we don’t want to come. We are comfortable and secure (we think) where we are, and we don’t realize that what He has for us is better.
In Luke 15 is the parable of the lost sheep. And there’s a very important detail in there. The lost sheep doesn’t just wander back when it gets hungry. It doesn’t look for the shepherd. No, the shepherd looks for the sheep. And keeps looking for the sheep. Up and down the street, under bushes and behind parked cars and in the far corner of the neighbor’s yard. Until the sheep is found.
And when she was found, we rejoiced. As does He. And we called those who had helped in the search, and those who had prayed for her to be found, and we celebrated with them. Just as there is joy in heaven over every repentant sinner.
He won’t give up on finding those who are lost. Just one of the reasons He is the Good Shepherd.
Light Expectations 