Talk to the Hand
Omega
I have a black Himalayan hybrid cat. Her name is Omega, but we call her Maggie. At 16, she zigzags across the floor ending in an out-of-control slide, just missing the wall...every time. She has well entertained us with her mashed in little nose, dwarf ears, beautiful gold/green eyes and her perfectly pink tongue which exceeds the rest of her face, draped a centimeter or so over her little tiny jaw. I assume it's because her breeder face is mashed in but her tongue ...is not. She is a typical fancy cat with a walk to beat the band. When she was a kitten into her junior years, she would allow herself to be carted around by my then 3 year-old, George. He crossed the hall from one room to another with her flopping over his shoulder like a rag doll. But as she got older she became less affable and more independent; preferring to make her own call on when where and how! We learned to give her her space as she grew into her queenly persona. She has a charisma that commands respect and we give it to her. One could believe Maggie is a flawless individual simply by the way she carries herself (Only her litter box gives her away).
The Hand
I don't know if you are familiar with those greasy plastic hands that kids bring home from school fairs and such. You hold the end of the stringy part and sling it (without letting go) towards a surface, and it slaps and sticks. I hated those things (I played with them, but I hated them) because they left grease spots on my walls. Rabbit trail? Keep reading.
The Queen's Wave
One afternoon my then husband was poring over blueprints and had been for hours. Maggie had planted herself squarely on the corner of the drafting table and lay there all day. Tom, feeling due for a good stretch, leaned back inciting Maggie to hop off and look for a new spot. Giving her a sideways glance, he spotted a greasy green hand ...waving goodbye to him from none other than her anus! He screeched, and I ran to witness this sight as the hand continued to wave from her anus like the Queen of England while she prissed across the floor! Knowing this had to be managed, we picked her majesty up; Tom taking the hand and I, the cat. He goes one way and I, the other. It wasn't pretty folks. Just sayin. Feces covered the hand and the long arm that was never ending as Tom and I got further and further away from each other! It stunk to high heaven, and we were in such a fit of hysterics we couldn't see what we were doing! Anyway, when the end of the apparatus finally made its way out of Maggie, it came with a vengeance...like a rock held back in a sling shot. Way back! Feces flew everywhere, and we rushed the cat to the sink and washed the muck off of her. It was disgusting and putrid! And to think this from a "queen"!
Your are what you Eat
It reminds me of the meme "You are what you eat". While Maggie gave off an air that would inspire jealousy in any other cat, the ugly truth was bound to come out. She was a rubber addict and even though she looked good on the outside, on the inside.... she stunk. We soon learned that we had to keep all rubber bands, not to mention needles and thread far out of her reach. Maggie had a problem!
Denial-Not just a River
There often seems to be something I have ignored for too long. As they say, denial is not just a river. I don't like to admit that I can fall and so what happens? I fall. I let whatever it is I'm "ingesting" wind its way throughout my soul. Maybe you can't see it because I am extra careful to look good on the outside. I can justify my actions all day long until a "hand" pops out and then we are ALL the wiser. Then I must come to terms with what I am "eating". For me it will never be a greasy hand, but it doesn't matter. What matters is that no matter how harmless it may seem, if we take the first bite, we may well be on our way to being over taken.
God spends much time in His wonderful book teaching us about idolatry which isn't just a shop full of cute little handmade gods. Much more than that, a deadly love of self and a preference for what feeds the flesh. WWJD has become an inept mantra.... one more greasy toy that mocks us when we live like we don't care. This is why we sing of the Love of God...because He sees it all but still loves and never gives up on us. Ever. We may be convinced that we have him fooled with our amazing church pizzazz, and we often have our brethren fooled as long as we are pulling our pious weight, but God sees.
"For man looks on the outer appearance, but God looks on the heart". 1 Samuel 16:7. "Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, To practice deeds of wickedness With men who do iniquity; And do not let me eat of their delicacies,". Psalm 141:4.
Jesus
So as I write this I hear in my heart" Living Word"; the Bread of Life. The One whose flesh we eat and whose blood we drink in communion with Him and in honor of Him who loved us enough to give Himself up for us. He came in a divine humility that was not conducive to a kings character.
"Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." Philipians 2:8
Needless to say, I have told Maggie this many times and I think in her older age she is getting it. Neither does false humility work. We all may come boldly into the throne room of God. But humble works too. Face down is a beautiful thing. Maggie and I would like to encourage you to be yourself..inside and out. We should know! We love you, God loves you, now go and love yourself...in all humility!
"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight." Philipians 2:8
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