I look at our cat, Frodo, and I realize my relationship with the cat is similar to my relationship with God. I love our cat, I look after our cat, and I provide for him, but he can be demanding and at times he even attacks me. He wants the good moist cat food early. He does not want to wait for the proper time to be fed. There are times when I think he is in a foul mood and he feels the need to assert himself. That is when he will attack and put his claws and teeth in my leg. I then will yell at him and stomp my feet. He will run off afraid, but he does not seem to learn that biting me is bad for him. There are times when he has to wait because I am not there. I wonder how impatient he is. And he expects me to walk him to his cat dish. Is my walking to the cat dish an assurance for him that there will be food? There are other times when he wants to go outside and it is raining or there is snow. He will look at me and I think he is telling me to fix the situation. Even though I provide for him, he thinks he is the master and he should be the one in charge. And yet I still love him.
I see a lot of similarities in my relationship with our cat, Frodo, and my relationship with God. I am much like Frodo, the cat. God, out of his love, provides for me. I have all I need, but there are times when I want more and I want it now. I am not satisfied with what I have. I want to be independent, master of my own destiny, and at the same time I want and expect God to provide for all I desire. There are times when I assert my independence and do things that are bad for me. I do not listen to God and I sin and bear the consequences of my actions. I did it my way instead of God’s way. In these times, I like to think I am in control and in charge, when nothing is further from the truth. And despite my sin, my wanting to be like God, God still loves me and desires me to be in a relationship with him. And God was willing to go to extreme measures to bring us back to him.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:16-17)
These verses are foundational to the Christian Faith. If you do not get that God loves you and wants the best for you, then you do not understand the Christian Faith.
God created the world (Revelation 10:6) and it was very good (Genesis 1:31), but Adam and Eve decided that they wanted to be like God, that is to be their own god (Genesis 3:1-6). They became self-centered and everything went downhill from there (James 3:14-16). Adam and Eve harmed themselves and the world, but God still loved them and had a plan to bring them back to him and restore the world (Genesis 3:14-15; John 3:16). We are their descendants and we carry the same broken sinful nature that they ended up with (Romans 3:23).
Jesus is at the center of that plan. He came into the world to live the perfect life that we cannot (1 Peter 2:22). He came to suffer and die to pay the price for our sins (1 Peter 1:18-19). He then rose back to life from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). And through the Holy Spirit he gives us life, and not just any old life but an abundant life (John 10:10) that is eternal (Romans 6:23). One day everything will be restored and made right, and we will live forever with him (Revelation 21:1-5).
Reality is found in the Christian Faith. I have a good life because of my Christian faith. My faith has made a difference in every aspect of my life. Let Jesus change your life.
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