The Truth About Cats and Dogs

Most of you reading this have probably at one time or another had some experience with a dog or a cat, and I’ll bet you have an opinion about them. Your opinion may be based on found memories of a loved family pet, a not so pleasant memory of stepping in something you had to clean off your shoe, or even the kinda weird memory of waking up from a nap to find your four legged friend asleep right next to you (or on you if they are small enough). You may, like me, have more than just a past experience; you may have a cat looking over your shoulder right now as you’re reading this, or a dog that is laying beside you hoping you’ll give it a moments attention before you go off to do something else. Regardless of your past or present experience with dogs and cats I’d like to ask you to think about them in terms of a spiritual gauge with me.

In his book “Everybody’s Normal Until You Get to Know Them”, John Ortberg Makes the distinction between approaching God and others as a dog or a cat. In a nut shell here’s the difference.

Cats: A cat looks down on you with an air of superiority, somewhere between mild to total disinterest, and as if you exist to meet it’s every need. When you feed it, clean up after it, buy it toys, do nice things for it I wonder if a cat thinks to itself, “Why wouldn’t you want to do all those things for me after all I am a cat and you are just my master. You’re so lucky to have me around, I deserve all you’ve done and more. I deserve your love and respect.”

Dogs: a dog looks up at you with love in its eyes, total devotion in its heart, and a willingness to follow you wherever you go. When you feed a dog, play with a dog, clean up after a dog, or buy a dog a toy all it wants to do is be with you. When the dog sees all these things that you have done for it I wonder if it thinks to itself, “Why would my master do all these things for me, I’m just a dog. I love my master and would do anything for them. I’m so lucky to be loved by such a wonderful master.”

Here’s an awesome truth. God loves you and me more than we know, and more than we will ever deserve. God’s love for us is nothing short of amazing. Look what the writer of Hebrews says about God and what He thinks of us.

6 For somewhere in the Scriptures it says, "What is man that you should think of him, and the son of man that you should care for him? 7 For a little while you made him lower than the angels, and you crowned him with glory and honor. 8 You gave him authority over all things." Now when it says "all things," it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all of this happen. Heb 2:6-8 (NLT)

Now here’s the tough part…When you approach God, are you more like a cat or a dog?

Pressing On:
Dale Phipps