If you have followed Michael-Grams for
any length, you may recall I had written an article or two on my energetic
and noisy house cats: Bentley and Lexus. These Bengal cats take curiosity to a
higher level than your typical tabby. They are very loving on their own terms,
playful, gymnastic, and insatiably curious. Since both have been fully declawed
and fixed, we never let them outside, except for going out on the deck on the
second floor for some fresh air and sunshine. Each had left the deck once.
Bentley hunkered down when he landed on terra firma for the first time and was
easily caught, but Lexus hit the new ground beneath her paws running, taking
four days to get her back. She had us torn out of the frame during that time while
her wildness revealed itself, liking the wrong kind of freedom. However, her
behavior revealed that the outside world was completely different than the
inside world she was accustomed to.
After the ordeal, Beverly and I
decided not to let either one out on the deck again unless we were with them.
Over time, we started allowing them to soak in the sun and get excited over the
birds and squirrels again unsupervised. Things seemed to be relatively okay
until last Wednesday afternoon (3.20.13); a little over six months had passed
since Lexus’ first freefall. I knew that she was on the deck, but then I heard
the fearful sounds of Lexus falling. Immediately upon reaching the deck, I saw Lexus
sniffing around in the grass. I later told Beverly that when I looked down at
her from the deck, I thought to myself, “I have lost her for good.”
I dashed outside in hopes of
retrieving her, but she only looked at me until I was about ten feet away from
her. Then she turned and bolted. It is now Sunday morning, and the animal trap remains
unvisited; she is nowhere to be found. I fear the worst. Later, Beverly and I
made a verbal pact; that if we ever get her back she will never ever be allowed to go out on the deck
again. It may be a little too late for that resolve due to my carelessness on
that sunny afternoon.
I know that God had a purpose in all
of this. “Yeah, blame it on God.” But allow me to share with you a different
perspective that I experienced as I was approaching Lexus with arms opened wide,
calling out her name. As I was approaching her I was given an illustration of
the Father, pursuing the lost who thought that they were really free, crying
out, “Come to Me.” In their high-mindedness and blindness, however, all they
did was turn and run from Him. All that Lexus had to do when summoned was to come to me; she was only ten feet or less away from me. Had she done so, I would have taken her into my arms, but she was too scared being outside a familiar environment.
She had no idea that by turning away she would be exposing herself to the elements, dogs, other stray cats, fleas, ticks, and automobiles, not to mention any food, limited water, and without claws to hunt, defend, or escape once again. Time was her greatest enemy. It is not like we haven’t been through this before! There is a sense that this time it’s different, with an alternate outcome. Maybe she is running on her “ninth” life, having burned up eight lives in the last venture!
She had no idea that by turning away she would be exposing herself to the elements, dogs, other stray cats, fleas, ticks, and automobiles, not to mention any food, limited water, and without claws to hunt, defend, or escape once again. Time was her greatest enemy. It is not like we haven’t been through this before! There is a sense that this time it’s different, with an alternate outcome. Maybe she is running on her “ninth” life, having burned up eight lives in the last venture!
We had purchased Lexus from a Bengal
breeder in Knoxville, as a two-month-old kitten, and introduced her into our
family almost seven years ago; but on that disastrous day, it was as if I had become a total stranger to her when I looked into her eyes before she disappeared. It all
happened so fast, and yet, it was materializing in slow-mo. She was responding to
her Bengal instincts, unlike Bentley when he had taken his plunge. He just froze in place, enamored by
all the blades of green.
Bengals usually make good house pets starting with the
fourth generation from feral. I always suspected Lexus was not a fourth-generation Bengal, for she had retained a Bengal trait not seen in
Bentley. Either way, she possessed a wildness that was uncontrollable. Certain
situations brought it out. I didn’t recognize it until she escaped the first
time. Putting two and two together, I detected a wild will even inside the
house that only magnified itself on the outside. If I had to scold the cats for being mischievous,
Lexus would flee, finding refuge under the bed, but Bentley would flop
down on the carpet and stretch out as if he wanted his belly rubbed, looking pitiful! Hindsight being 20/20, I had allowed my compassion for Lexus' love of the outdoors to
do an unwise thing by allowing her access to the deck again.
Unbelievers are a lot like Lexus in flight mode, behaving like a brute beast and oblivious of the peril awaiting them as they
continue to run and hide from the Father’s advances (Rev 3:20). They are merely
responding to their sinful nature to rebel against God, a dangerous and deadly
game. The truth of what was happening was so simple and yet so profound; I
stood dumbfounded and heartbroken as Lexus turned the corner out of sight. I can
only imagine how God must feel about those who say “no” to Him constantly and
for the last time knowing full well their fate of choice.
There was something else I was reminded
of – my feelings of helplessness in attempting to rescue Lexus. I couldn’t make
her come to me, and I couldn’t prevent her from running away. Unless God
intervened, there was nothing else I could do, but pray of course. The truth is
we cannot save anyone; this is exclusively the work of God. We are simply
called to be witnesses to the truth and the inner reality of the truth within
us, letting our light shine in a world enveloped in spiritual darkness (Mt
5:16). When we are seeking and loving God, out of that personal relationship will
naturally flow outward manifestations of Christlikeness as a witness to others.
Our words and walk need to be a witness to a lost and dying world of the
surpassing greatness and goodness of God.
Perhaps you are somewhat religious, and
even admit you may be rebellious at times or all the time but not a rejecter of
God for you believe in God. The truth is that failing to open the door of your heart to Him in
repentance and asking forgiveness for your sins is tantamount to rejection; a
non-decision is a decision. If you do
not possess the Holy Spirit in your heart you are not saved, and you are heading for a very bad place (Rev 20:15). I
am not trying to be insensitive or unkind, but it’s a biblical reality (cf. Rom
8:9). Those names found in the Book of Life have the Holy Spirit
living within them. It is not a list of those whose good works outweighed their bad ones. Then it would represent only a list of names who saved themselves by their own efforts and not what Christ did on the cross to save us from the penalty of sin (cf. Eph 2:8-9).
Lexus is just my pet, not at all as precious as the souls of men; in fact, there is no comparison. But I hurt for
her anyway for she was my sweet little kitty, and I don’t like her prospects,
at all. She may come back, God willing, but with each passing day, hope grows a
little dimmer. God can perform a miracle in the life of any unbeliever,
but He will not override a person’s will. With each passing day, hope grows
dimmer for those without Christ.
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Those without Christ think that they
are free to do as they choose (“It’s my life.”), desiring to ascend to high
places, but it’s the wrong kind of freedom; the kind that leads to something
very terrible. How quickly and simply the situation can be averted, “Whoever believes”
(Jn 3:16; Rom 10:13), rather than heading for a destructive destiny of their
own making, their own choosing. One thing is for sure; no one can blame it on
his or her DNA who rejects Yahweh; it’s a choice trip contrary to popular belief. The wrong kind of freedom is a life without Christ, a prisoner of sin and subject to its grave consequences (Jn 3:36; 1 Jn 5:12). The right kind of
freedom is life and liberty in the bosom of the Father, “If the Son, then, sets you free, you
are really free” (Jn 8:36, JBP).
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