As Tara Ayer has so wonderfully pointed out in the past, my cat is prophetic. Here is what her little life is speaking to me tonight....

My poor kitty. If you don't like cats (Darren Hailes! for shame....) you'll probably never see the pathos in this mental picture, but my poor baby is wandering around with a bucket on her head. No, she didn't just decide to wear one, nor is she having a particularly embarrassing day. She had surgery yesterday, and isn't permitted to get her sharp little tongue at the area with the stitches.

Here's what I noticed when I was watching her in the last day or so:

The bucket (OK, it's actually called a cone) on her head is hampering her normal movement and actions. For example: in the mornings when I get up, or after my coming home when she is greeting me, she will spend a good deal of time rubbing her face against the corners of walls. With the bucket on her head, all that happens is that she bangs the bucket on the corner of the wall. One would think that once or twice would be enough to remind her that it's there, but no, she does it over and over again.

Also, she has a poor perception of where the edges of the cone are. I'm not sure if her peripheral vision is poor, but she'll be calmly walking into a room past, for example, the organ, and WHAM! she smacks her cone into the organ, not having properly judged the space needed to get by. For the last day and a half, the effects of the anesthetic and bucket combined have made her wobble around the house, swerving here and there until finally deciding to fall over into a lying down position (I'm really hoping the "drunk cat" affectation will go away shortly - it's hard to explain why a Salvation Army cat is not a teetotaler). She is also unable to get comfortable enough to really sleep (she usually twists her body around so that her head is upside-down), so I'm not sure she's getting good sleeps just now.

And if all that wasn't enough, the surgery was on her - ahem - butt, so she is shaved in a not particularly socially acceptable spot. (Perhaps that's the reason for the bucket?)

How is this prophetic? Well, as always, I'll put a disclaimer on whether the cat is actually hearing from the Lord. But as I was watching her just now, it reminded me that often we have blinders (or buckets) on. Perhaps they're things that are even there because we've been injured in some way, as the kitty was, or perhaps they are things we have chosen to put there - sin, past hurts, ungodly teachings - but they are blinders nonetheless, and as such they keep us in a continual state of wobbling around. Over and over again we might try to do something without being aware that there's no positive result. We try to do the things we've always been used to doing, and possibly not even noticing that they are ineffective or even distructive. And our judgement can be really poor, causing us more hurt or more wounds.

What's the solution? As always - God. Jehovah Raffa - God our Healer. Seek after the One who created you and therefore knows intimately how to fix the broken parts in our lives. Do you ever feel like you're wearing a bucket on your head? Ask the Lord to heal the wounds and take off the bucket when His timing is most appropriate. He is faithful.

And now, just to make you laugh a little....



















40 DAYS OF PURPOSE
Chapter Twelve: Developing Your Friendship with God

Main idea: Friendship with God is developed through honesty, obedience, shared values and zeal.
Most impactful verse: "Passion for Your house burns within me, so those who insult You are also insulting me. (Psalm 69:9 NLT)"
Most impactful concept: You are as close to God as you choose to be / Intimate friendship with God is a choice, not an accident; you must intentionally seek it.
Other thoughts: I LOVE that Rick Warren addresses this. So many time I hear people say silly things like perhaps, "I would have the kind of intimacy with God you have if I were single like you, but I have to look after my husband and family, and that takes time away from God." I have always thought it was a cop-out. Now I'm more convinced than ever. I also love the fact that according to James 4:8 ("Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.") our closeness factor is entirely up to us. No more saying, "I just don't feel God near me." Probably when that happens we haven't spent enough time with Him, developing our frienships with Him.