Flourish
Sparla was born feral. Long line of feral cats.
When Ben rescued Sparla, she was covered in fleas. Newborn, 4 week old kitted don't run around asking fleas to hop on. Theyare simply part of her life as a feline. Mama got fleas, baby got fleas. Ben chose Sparla out of the litter. We bathed her in warm water and original Dawn to rid her of the fleas. As Sparla got older, she became able to tolerate the medicine for ongoing protection from fleas. Unfortunately, the medicine is not a permanent solution. It must be reapplied monthly. Meanwhile, I also comb her. Slow, painstaking process. Yet, I noticed that Sparla leans into the combing. She turns the most affected parts to me for combing away very tiny pests that irritate her. Sparla gets regular and frequent brushing to keep her fur from getting matted and snarled. Matted fur is dull, painful to fix, and simply ugly. Sparla leans into her brushing.
Why can't we be like that? Like Sparla, we are born into the fact of pests - sin. Like those fleas, sin sucks the blood/life out us. Especially deadly for kittens. Like feral kittens, we need a Rescuer. We are born helpless against predators and pests. We need big strong hands to scoop us up out of a flea-infested environment into His kingdom. There we are regularly washed and cared for. Our Rescuer makes sure that our living space is clean and the the food is appropriate for our development. My job - to come alongside Ben to aid in the care of the now full-grown pet that we love.
But we are not pets. We are co-heirs with Christ. How even more important that we join our Rescuer in the work of disciple care! Because we are children of the most high God, not pets, we should not only lean into His care, but run to Him for it. When our appearance starts to look a little (or a lot) shabby, we need to stand still and submit to the brushing out. Sparla is now a choosy eater. She is not eating any old thing given to her. Why do we? Sniff it out. Examine closely. Then choose to eat, or walk away. Feasting only on the Word of God trains our spiritual palate to know what is good, and reject anything not like it. Sparla is actually beautiful and smart and approachable, winsome. Unless she smells an intruder. but that battle lesson is for another time.
When Ben rescued Sparla, she was covered in fleas. Newborn, 4 week old kitted don't run around asking fleas to hop on. Theyare simply part of her life as a feline. Mama got fleas, baby got fleas. Ben chose Sparla out of the litter. We bathed her in warm water and original Dawn to rid her of the fleas. As Sparla got older, she became able to tolerate the medicine for ongoing protection from fleas. Unfortunately, the medicine is not a permanent solution. It must be reapplied monthly. Meanwhile, I also comb her. Slow, painstaking process. Yet, I noticed that Sparla leans into the combing. She turns the most affected parts to me for combing away very tiny pests that irritate her. Sparla gets regular and frequent brushing to keep her fur from getting matted and snarled. Matted fur is dull, painful to fix, and simply ugly. Sparla leans into her brushing.
Why can't we be like that? Like Sparla, we are born into the fact of pests - sin. Like those fleas, sin sucks the blood/life out us. Especially deadly for kittens. Like feral kittens, we need a Rescuer. We are born helpless against predators and pests. We need big strong hands to scoop us up out of a flea-infested environment into His kingdom. There we are regularly washed and cared for. Our Rescuer makes sure that our living space is clean and the the food is appropriate for our development. My job - to come alongside Ben to aid in the care of the now full-grown pet that we love.
But we are not pets. We are co-heirs with Christ. How even more important that we join our Rescuer in the work of disciple care! Because we are children of the most high God, not pets, we should not only lean into His care, but run to Him for it. When our appearance starts to look a little (or a lot) shabby, we need to stand still and submit to the brushing out. Sparla is now a choosy eater. She is not eating any old thing given to her. Why do we? Sniff it out. Examine closely. Then choose to eat, or walk away. Feasting only on the Word of God trains our spiritual palate to know what is good, and reject anything not like it. Sparla is actually beautiful and smart and approachable, winsome. Unless she smells an intruder. but that battle lesson is for another time.
Psalm 92:13New Living Translation (NLT)
13 For they are transplanted to the Lord’s own house.
They flourish in the courts of our God.
They flourish in the courts of our God.
if you look up flourish in Merriam-Webster, you will be encouraged.
posted by Janet | 10:09 AM
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