Cat Walk

By Brenda Black

On a normal morning, my Labrador greets me bouncing gleefully. She knows we're going for a walk down the road if I step out of the house early, and shod in my Sauconies. It's her chance to sniff to her heart's content and follow that nose for short, excited road-side adventures. She gets to stretch aging legs that spend too much time on concrete where she lay trying to keep cool in this blistering heat. For me, it's a way to clear my mind for the work ahead and burn off calories before they touch my lips and hips. We make a pretty good team. But once in a great while, we are joined by another companion – the cat. Then the walk looks a whole lot different.

My dog understands the drill. She jogs along perfectly positioned ahead, alongside or behind. She is confident and knows the course we trod and paces herself according to my gait. The cat, on the other hand, doesn't have a clue. Yet she pretends to be in charge. So with every 10 steps I take, she bolts from behind, pounces ahead and inconveniently drops and rolls playfully right in my path. If I didn't know better, I'd think she was trying to kill me!

I acknowledge her cuteness as I sidestep the fur-ball hurdle that could hurl me flat on my face. She pulls her catastrophic escapades three or four more calculated times before she gives up the game and wanders to the ditch to pursue smaller game. Today, she hung with us for well over a mile. Of course, as we stepped lively, she finally fell behind far enough to stop tripping me and far enough to have me keep looking over my shoulder to make sure she was still safe.

Before we finally reached home, I had scooped up the panting, far-less cocky cat and was hauling her little worn-out self the rest of the journey. She discovered she didn't know the way and she most certainly wasn't the leader.

Believers today can fall into any of these categories: the Faithful, Joyful, Confident Canine; the Determined Disciple; or the Know-it-All Kitty that trips the rest of us up and slows down the progress. Which are you?

The Book of John addresses each.

“When Jesus spoke again to the people he said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'” (John 8:12) My dog knows the way because she follows her master consistently. She could walk it alone, but she never does. She'd rather walk it with me. Oh, to be a believer who spends so much time with the Savior that we know which way He's going and we long to stick near Him.

When we walk, I get time and space to talk with the Lord. Often, I simply listen. But just as it takes self-discipline to get up and get down that road early in the morning, likewise we are called to accept some pretty heavy doctrine from an omnipotent God. We are to believe even when it is hard to understand. It takes determination to be a disciple when the world is telling you that you are on the wrong path. John records in chapter 6 that Jesus turned some fickle followers off when they heard him speak of feeding on Himself. I'd have to admit that would be a bit hard interpret. But for those who grasped His eternal meaning, they became more than disciples – they became His children.

“On hearing it, many of his disciples said, 'This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?'

“Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, 'Does this offend you? What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe...' Simon Peter answered him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.'” (Jn. 6:60-69)

Hopefully, you are gleefully committed and/or dutifully determined. If not either of these, you might be in danger of being a fickle feline wandering aimlessly, and tripping others on your misguided adventure.

Loyalty, Stupidity, Mercy and Destiny

By Brenda Black

If Hollywood ever gets ahold of this story, they'll have a movie blockbuster. The plot pits once dear friends against one another in a struggle for power and fame, interlaced with noble loyalty and insanity. The hero waffles from righteous actions to foolish decisions, while the arch rival breaks his own kingdom's laws to call on a witch to conjure up the dead. There are battle scenes and village burnings, pillaging and kidnappings. Ultimately, an entire family is wiped out in one day with the head of the clan committing suicide.

Though it sounds like a modern day version of Shakespeare’s Macbeth or a hodge-podge of headlines from today's press, this story is an historic account of Saul, King of Israel, and David, the one who would take his seat on the throne. By chapter 26 in the book of 1 Samuel, Saul is in hot pursuit of his nemesis, David. But David is still denying any wrong doing and proving his loyalty genuine with clever acts of bravery as evidenced in verses 9-11 when David could have easily snuffed out his opponent.

“But David said to Abishai, 'Don't destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord's anointed and be guiltless? As surely as the Lord lives,' he said, 'the Lord himself will strike him; either his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord's anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head, and let's go.'”

David had the means and the opportunity. He had just cause, but he didn't take justice into his own hands. Though wronged, he chose to do right – not because Saul was so deserving of such grace, but David knew that Jehovah God is the author and finisher of life. Loyalty to His Lord kept David from sin. Next time someone stabs you in the back, think of this scene. Play it over in your mind and pray for God to help you walk away with clean hands.

So, how does one so noble in his actions, suddenly become so foolish? David was human. He stopped listening to God's wisdom and took his own advice. That was a big mistake. “But David thought to himself, 'One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines...” (1 Samuel 27:1) Famous last words before falling into the land of stupidity. David followed his inkling without seeking the Lord and it cost him his family, a city and the respect of his community. He lied his way throughout the land of the enemies of Israel and pledged allegiance to a pagan king. His band of faithful followers were pushed to the point of stoning him in grief and anger. What a mess the merciful David had gotten himself into!

At the same time, Saul was also caught up in a state of stupidity as he sought the counsel of a witch and asked her to beckon Samuel for advice from the dead! You can read about that in chapter 28. When trust in the Lord waivers, humans reveal how truly desperate and pathetic we are on our own. I'm not accusing. I'm confessing. As a fellow human to these men of old, how often I have followed the beat of my own foolish thoughts rather than practiced obedience to the counsel of the Living God. The results have been futile at best, disastrous at times.

Samuel, in his ghostly state, delivered the indictment to Saul: “'Why do you consult me now that the Lord has turned away from you and become your enemy? The Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors – to David. Because you did not obey the Lord...'” (1 Sam. 28:16-18a)

God was merciful toward David. He led him to the camp of the raiders who had kidnapped his family along with all those belonging to his army. In pure “I Am the Almighty” fashion, God used a sick and abused Egyptian slave as his instrument of victory for David's army. I wonder if David saw himself in that desperate man who was left to die in the desert. Did David piece together the miraculous work of a God who would use the “least of these” as a spy for His glory? I wonder if it dawned on him that slavery to sin is a deadly option.

Speaking of death – the angel there of vanquished all of Saul's family at the hands of the Philistines during battle, just as David had predicted. No man took “the anointed” one's life. In fact, he fell upon his own spear to finalize the critical wounds Philistine archers had inflicted upon him.

One man rose to take the thrown while the other one fell to the ground. Each reached their destiny. David would live many more years (read 2 Samuel and 1 Kings) to capture the praise of people and the blessings of God. But he never quite got over that human condition that also caused him to stumble on occasion. He was loyal at times, stupid at times, merciful at times. And God was always supremely in charge – just like He is in our lives.

copyright 2012 The Word's Out - Brenda Black