Tie the Cat

"Be still, then, and know that I am God."
Psalm 46:11


I pray that you are well and are finding time in this new year to spend time with God. So many of us want to live the Christian life, to be connected with God, and feed our faith instead of our fears, but often, other people and activities compete for time with God. The result of not spending time with God is that our lives are less than they could be. We miss out on noticing how connected God is in our lives, and our fears grow. So this week, I invite you to "tie the cat." Here's what I mean.


A certain woman decided that she wanted to have a spiritual life. She began by setting aside fifteen minutes at the very start of the day to read the Bible and to pray. This particular woman shared her life with a very affectionate cat, who, during this time of prayer, rubbed against her and too often distracted her from her time with God. So she began her prayer time by tying the cat's collar to her bedpost so she wouldn't be distracted from her time with God.


Her son, watched his mother grow in faith, peace and understanding, and swore that when he became an adult, he too, would set aside time with God to grow in the faith. His life was a little busier than his mother's life and he could only spend ten minutes with God each morning. He began his prayer time by tying up his cat, then opening the Bible and praying. His life changed dramatically from the time he spent with God and the son grew as a Christian.


The granddaughter grew up with a faithful, praying grandmother and father and vowed that, she too, would be a person of faith. Her life, though, was so distracted and busy that she had even less time for God then her father. So, early each morning she would rise, tie up her cat, and jump in the shower to get ready for her day.


Like all relationships of value, spending time with the person or persons you love is crucial. And it's not always the quality of time we spend. More often, deep relationships form with the quantity of time we spend with the beloved. A good amount of time spent with a partner, a child, a friend, and especially with God, almost always yields a deeper love and understanding, as well as a greater sense of peace and purpose.


So, tie the cat in your life and go into your room alone to spend time with the Lord. Walk away from one of your distractions and activities that overfill your time and be still in the presence of God. Your fears will fall away and that peace that passed understanding will fill your soul and bring you closer to a life that's really life.

Grace and Peace,
WFA