Looking for the Lion (or, “How Much Access Do You Give to a Cat?”)

If you are a cat-hater and somehow pounced upon this page, I imagine the bounce rate on this piece will likely be high. I doubt the cat-haters will hang on for some reading-ride that may take them any further into the territory of dogs, sheep, goats, or especially, lions. Just one little word (cat) will be enough to crank up their firewall access settings.

Just say “no” to cats!

This morning I awoke remembering a little snippet of a dream I was having. In the dream, I was in some other place and noticed one of my cats had escaped and was there, too, where he didn’t belong. In the dream, I reached down and picked him up and then walked out into some hotel-like hallway, opened a door and threw him into that room. Immediately, in the dream, I looked down and he was slinking right back out through an open cat door, undeterred from my attempt to confine him where he apparently, in that dreamscape, belonged.

The dream-snippet image was compelling enough to linger in my thoughts while I brewed coffee, and then, I looked at my phone and saw a meme which I deeply paused (or “paws’d) over, in contemplation. I will put the meme at the very end, since, it would be hard to explain why those thoughts led to this piece, per se. But, they did.

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And now for something completely different, for a moment.

I was at my neighbor’s recently and their puppy was so very excited to see me. She was uncontrollable with jumping upon my seated knees, tail-wagging and licking. A lot of me wanted to just let her do it and reciprocate the unbridled affection and free access to my seated-self on their kitchen chair, but I understood that my neighbor didn’t want the creature to feel free to love on any humanoid that entered her space.

I watched her being held back by her collar (I think) and spoken sternly to, and I attempted to withhold my natural inclination to pet her, and instead, attempted to also sternly tell her, “SIT.” And “DOWN.”

In the scriptures, I immediately think of two texts about dogs. Dogs, like goats, aren’t spoken of too kindly (that I know of) in sacred text metaphor and image.

“Like a dog that returns to his vomit
is a fool who repeats his folly.” (Proverbs 26:11, ESV)

And then, there is the story in the gospel of Matthew of the Canaanite Woman (Matthew 15:21-28, ESV):

“And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.”

The second image of the woman equating herself with a dog, I quite identify with. Often in my lifetime have I felt relegated to places of non-belonging, of being under the banquet table, so-to-speak, where above me others are seemingly living and thriving in normalcy. And I am hungry, shunned and seemingly tossed little scraps here and there. Just enough to keep me away, to keep me from being some nuisance, somewhere that I don’t belong, perhaps.

But, back to cats, cat doors, access, and God.
(OK, “God” spelled backwards is “dog,” but, I’m not going to go there!)

I have three little lions (domesticated cats) living with me, and a number of cat doors (small, low openings cut into doors and finished off with wood trim molding) where they can freely roam in-and-out-of when for some reason, the door to that room has been closed.

There are other doors in my home that have no such access, and these are the rooms that when I close the door, I (or any guest) means it. (Guest bedroom, bathrooms…my bedroom…yes…I sleep with my bedroom door open for the cats to come and go during the night, but, I left the option of locking them out if needed.)

The animals cannot come in to these access-controlled rooms, as much as they may stand outside and meow or scratch for entrance.

These are the rooms where I might also toss one, two or three of them and lock them all up together, when I’ve had enough of whatever it is they are doing in my space, and I am in one of the rooms that unfortunately for that moment, has a cat door.

It is human nature to want to control access, and of course, there are always good reasons to do so. But sometimes, when I think of God, I think of the firewalls we humans put up against His free access and entrance into small and large spaces in our lives, and I think about the fearfulness in granting Him unfettered access, to freely be the huge Lion that He is.

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I’ve heard over the years that “God is a gentleman” and will not enter places He is not welcomed. I imagine I could string together a few proof texts to support that idea…but for a moment, I think of Psalm 23 and the idea of a cup.

“My cup overflows…” and I wonder, how big is my cup? And I think about how we want what we want in our cups. We want the good wine, rather than the cup of suffering that Jesus sometimes pushes in front of us, at table. And of course, I think that it is through sufferings often times that the Lion enters, and we experience hidden blessings.

But of course, we long for the peaceful condition. We long for living the good life where our basic emotional, spiritual and physical needs are being met. We long for our cups to overflow with milk and honey, and to swim in the truth that “All my life You have been faithful…all my life you have been so, so good…”

And I ask those who have read thus far, “How big is your cup?”

Scripture tells us that if we sow sparingly, we will reap sparingly. And now, I seem to be talking about seeds…which leads to birds…and birds eating up good seeds that fall on hard, rocky ground and cannot take root and bear large fruit…

I think also, and often, of the Israelites taking that first step out on-and-into the dry ground as the seas began to part, making a way when there was no way to flee from slavery and the fast-approaching chariots and horses of Pharoah. I imagine them stepping on to the next opening before them, from one terrifying thing into another unknown…I mean, who steps into some opening in the Red Sea where walls of water are parting, where they cannot see ahead or know what lies beyond or when/if the mighty Hand of God will suddenly say, “no more…now, the waters will close in just as swiftly and mysteriously as they parted…”

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But, back to cats. No, Lions.

Jesus is depicted in one biblical metaphor as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. In the Old/New Testament, there are a number of references to Jesus being like a lion, the King of the jungle, as we know lions to be.

Imagine me trying to control a Lion’s access to me and my life by cutting a little cat door into the walls I (and all of us) build around our sacred areas where we don’t want to be touched or disturbed. Or, imagine being in that room that has such a little access door, or small cup, and saying, “Where is my God? Why isn’t He present with me?”

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Sometimes I have had wet paint around my home and one of my cats has been on the move and walked through it, leaving little footprints on the kitchen floor, even though the little beast is nowhere to be found!

I think of prowling Lions, terrifying creatures that would fell us with one swoop of their paw and would lock their tight teeth into our flesh and rip us apart. Sometimes my little cats will come lay on top of me and purr, kneading my stomach with their paws and claws. While I know this behavior is connected to their memory of nursing their mama, I’ve heard jokes that they are feeling out our internal organs, looking for some weak spot!

In scripture, we are told that the Lion will lay down with the Lamb. Jesus the Lion is powerful to protect, to deliver and, to have His way with us. He is also kind and gentle, like Aslan in the Narnia tales.

I think of the scene in Narnia where the white witch has caused things to be under her wicked rule, where it is “always winter, but never Christmas.” What a horrible curse.

A quick Google of that phrase from CS Lewis’ Narnia series led me to this author’s expression, and though I just browsed it, I paused at this part which is so familiar to me:

“Indeed, just think of that! A place made icy cold by evil. Under a pitiless spell. Hopeless. Not even one day – much less a season – of green. No joy. No laughter. No optimism. No dreams.”— Rubel Shelly

And I think of Aslan being “on the move…”

And I keep looking for His tracks. Where is my Jesus, my Lion, prowling about these days?

“Safe?” said Mr Beaver; “Who said anything about safe? Of course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
CS Lewis, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

Goodness of God
Songwriters: Jason Ingram / Brian Johnson / Ed Cash / Ben Fielding / Jenn Johnson

I love You, Lord
For Your mercy never fails me
All my days, I’ve been held in Your hands
From the moment that I wake up
Until I lay my head
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

And all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

I love Your voice
You have led me through the fire
In the darkest night
You are close like no other
I’ve known You as a Father
I’ve known You as a Friend
And I have lived in the goodness of God (yeah)

And all my life You have been faithful (oh)
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God (yeah)

‘Cause Your goodness is running after
It’s running after me
Your goodness is running after
It’s running after me
With my life laid down
I’m surrendered now
I give You everything
‘Cause Your goodness is running after
It’s running after me (oh-oh)

And all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I’m gonna sing of the goodness of God
(I’m gonna sing, I’m gonna sing)

‘Cause all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I’m gonna sing of the goodness of God
Oh, I’m gonna sing of the goodness of God