The Cat

John 9:35 "Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, 'Do you believe in the Son of Man?' NIV

My neighbours were going away and asked if I would drop in daily to feed their cat Riley. I told them I would be happy to look after him.

The first two days Riley greeted me happily. On the third day it took me twenty minutes before I found him upstairs hiding under a table. He looked frightened and stressed. The fourth day I couldn't find him at all. I emailed his owners to see if they knew of any special place he might be hiding. They couldn't think of anywhere and they were worried about him. I told them I would go back over and look again and if I found him I would bring him to my house for the duration of their holiday. After an extensive search I discovered him jammed into a very dark narrow spot. Pulling him out I put him into a cat carrier, collected all his gear and took him to my place. Within a few days Riley was his contented old self.

Riley became scared and depressed after his owners left him alone. He probably felt abandoned and thus withdrew, hiding himself away, not understanding what had happened or why.

In John 9 verses 1-34 we can read the story of a man born blind, whom Jesus healed. After he was healed the Pharisees, the church leaders, did not want to believe in this miracle. And when they discovered that it was true and he testified that it was Jesus who healed him they became angry and ultimately threw him out of the temple. How devastating this must have been for this poor fellow to be tossed out, abandoned.

But when Jesus heard about this, he went and found him. He also revealed to the man just who He was. He was more than a prophet; He was the Son of Man. And the man embraced this truth and worshipped Him. He was no longer an outcast but a follower of Jesus.

What might have happened to him, I wonder, if Jesus had not taken the time to find him and draw him to Himself?

Many people today, like the man from this story suffer abandonment or rejection for various reasons and from various sources. And much like Riley the cat, they become frightened and depressed. They often withdraw and hide themselves away, perhaps feeling it is their fault or that they can't trust people again. If any of us knows someone like this, I pray that we might be like Jesus. That we might take the time to go and *find* them and reassure them of both ours and the Lord's eternal love for them. For in so doing, like Jesus we too may become instruments of healing and restoration.

Prayer: Father God, thank You that You found us and drew us to Yourself, may we like Jesus, be willing to seek out those whom we know may be suffering from rejection and sorrow. And through the power of Your Spirit, may we be used as instruments of healing and restoration in their lives. In Jesus' name we ask. Amen.

Lynne Phipps