How Deep the Savior's Love

FaithWalkDaily December 29, 2008

For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God's anger against us. ~ Rom 3:23-25 NLT

As another year draws to a close, I've been thinking a lot about my life and my attitude.

A few weeks ago I was on the phone with a friend as our cat Nani Ui moseyed by. I reached down and scratched her head and neck, rather mindlessly as I was chatting with my friend.

Nani is a Bombay with the nature of a Panther. While she can be sweet and loving, she is not a particularly affectionate cat and is quick to let us know when she's had enough. There is always a warning before an attack. Having been scratched a fair number of times, we're wise to her ways.

On this particular day, I was distracted. Nani had reached her limit and had no doubt given me fair warning, which I missed. The next thing I knew, the Tasmanian Devil wrapped itself around my arm and then darted off like Ricochet Rabbit, leaving me bleeding. The bite swelled, turned an angry red, and throbbed all day. Later that afternoon I found myself in urgent care with IV antibiotics dripping in my arm. I was sent home with my arm immobilized, an IV catheter in my vein for a follow up dose, and a bottle of mega caplets.

All the way home I replayed the incident in my head. How can that cat attack me when we give her so much love and care? We adopted her at eight months when she was very ill and listless, and nursed her to good health. She's shown signs of previous abuse, is extremely skittish and terrified of going outdoors. We've been kind and loving to her despite her wild behavior. My sons and others have asked me, why do you keep such an evil cat?

Nani is not evil. Neither are we. We are sinners. We all fall short of the glory of God. We get up, we fall down. We get up, we fall down. Nani is not a hateful or wicked cat. She is who she is. Her nature is wild and it's up to me to be on guard. She reacts according to her God-given nature. And when she snaps, we don't beat her or throw her out. We hold her, stroke her and calm her, letting her know we love her no matter what she does. Are we reinforcing her bad behavior? No. We're reassuring her that no matter how scared or agitated she is, we're not going to turn away from her and stop loving her.

Because of that first act of rebellion in Eden, we're damaged goods. Wild and skittish, showing signs of abuse, we strike out. We all turn on God sometimes when things don't go our way. I can't even count the number of times I've screamed at God when I felt He'd abandoned me. In the quiet of my heart He's always reminded me, "I haven't turned away from you. I will never leave nor forsake you (Heb. 13:5.) I do not change the rules or strike out at you. I AM GOD." He holds me tight in His love reminding me, whatever I do, He's here for me. He wants me to love and serve Him only, and will wait as long as it takes.

"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." ~ Matt 28:20 NIV

The scar on my wrist will probably be there forever, a reminder of who I am and how much God loves me. I haven't given up on Nani. We'll keep her, love her and care for all her needs until she's old and dies. You don't give up on loved ones just because they don't respond or react as you think they should. Love is unconditional. That even spills over to what others think is an unlovable creature.

I am an unlovable creature in my sin. Praise God He doesn't drop me off at the "animal shelter" when I deserve it! When I fall down, He gently reaches out and pulls me up into His loving care.

Lord God, how merciful You are. You, who could wipe us out with a word, choose instead to wait for us to come to our senses. You know our hearts and desires and that we long to be righteous and holy even as Jesus is righteous and holy. Yet our sin continues to get in the way. We resolve to keep our eyes on You, to seek You, to serve You, our loving Father. Thank You for holding us tight when we're out of control, for never giving up on us. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.