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| Photo Credit: www.esarcasm.com |
Experience has always been known to be a good teacher, nature, in my opinion, makes a worthwhile substitute. Ants teach us hard work, dogs teach us about loyalty, eagles teach us about the painful yet necessary cost of renewal, then there's my dear cat, Mystique. Mystique has been an integral part of the Minishi household since as far as I can remember, which is 2003. That would make her around 13 years old at the very least, she is a teenager, perhaps this could explain why these days she just starts howling spontaneously craving for attention.
Mystique was not named after the shape-shifting X-men character, if she did possess shape-shifting powers, me and brother would be in serious trouble. I shudder to think what retribution she would serve us for the way, shall we say, 'mishandled' her in the past. She is Mystique, because she is a mysterious cat whose whereabouts before the Minishi household shall forever be shrouded in mystery. Mysterious she may be, but in all those years she has been with us, I have drawn some vital lessons from my life with Jesus just by observing the life of our 4-legged family member.
As scarcely believable as it sounds, it's true. Matter of fact, here are 5 lessons my cat has taught me about my walk with God;
1. Food is a big deal
Our beloved cat is very particular when it comes to food. She likes Whiskas or Go Cat cereal in meat flavors like rabbit, beef, veal, chicken. She likes cat jelly like FELIX- Purina as well. In spite of the pack or can containing chunks of cat food with the jelly, she opts to slurp up the jelly and leave us with chunks of jelly because she is a kind-hearted soul who loves to share her food.
She loves lungs, yes you heard me lungs, they are her favorite and mean that I have to go to Kawangware every once in a while to buy them for her from the Butchers who sell matumbo. Try feed her cereal with a vegetable flavor or fish flavor, omena, ugali, chapati, bread and she will give you that cold icy stare of "seriously, seriously, chapati, seriously, smh." Before, she sashays away thinking how her human masters just wasted 10 seconds of her precious cat life.
When she does get her food, she is not the kind to chomp it down in a minute, unless it's lungs or she's ravenously hungry; she normally eats in installments.
Mystique taught me that my spiritual food is a big deal. I should dig in with relish the same way she does, not just the 1 spiritual, happy meal of Sunday, but in installments, day by day, a chapter of scripture in addition to my Daily Bread devotional.
I'm also allowed to be choosy. I'm not compelled to consume whatever the media or contemporary culture feeds me in terms of fads. I must chose my music, movies, television viewing, philosophies, not everything I see is palatable for my spirit. Brazenly, I slurp the soup in music or movies I consider not bad which are mostly animation flicks and then leave out chunks which everyone sees as the main meal like Game of Thrones for example.
2. The door will be opened
Our cat will sit close to a door intently fixing her gaze on the door knob. This is not to say our cat wields extra-ordinary tele-kinetic powers but she trusts that the door will be opened for her. She has an unwavering conviction that simpleton Ken will notice her desperate telepathic pleas for the door to be opened and I will very much oblige.
At times she may let out a cry or a whimper, but rarely. she has taught me that I have to possess a similar, unwavering trust in God to open doors. I need to be still and in due time, he will open the door of a job, open the door of a healing, open the door of a relationship amongst other doors.
3. Some people will think you've lost it
Mystique has the curious habit of 'being in the moment' at times. Unfortunately for us, there is no preview to this state of being, it just happens.
During this period, our cat loses all sense of dignified calmness and scampers across the room like a lunatic.
Her dilated pupils, coupled with the intense look in her eyes paint the picture of a deranged cat. She looks left, dashes to the corner. Takes a breather, scurries off to the opposite side of the room, as the sound of her claws scratching across the wooden floor punctuate the air. Sometimes she tries to catch her tail, attempting in vain to bite it. One would be forgiven for thinking that our cat has lost the plot. Sometimes I think it to be the case, but for the most part, I realize Mystique is just being Mystique and she's not crazy regardless of what people think.
People might think me a fool/lunatic for believing in a God I can't see. People may find me weird or crazy for opting not to compromise on my integrity because I'm trying to practice what Jesus said and did. People may see me as insane for choosing not to follow the crowd. I know who I am, I'm not crazy, my identity is in Christ, not in my looks, possessions or a job. I'm not insane, it's just that my love for Jesus makes me do things which appear insane to an unbelieving world and I get it. I will just keep on, no matter what people think, I'll be in the moment.
4. Cool, calm and collected
Mystique is generally calm under pressure. Well, that's if pressure isn't a another cat(no matter the size) entering her territory or the sound of a water tank pumping water, or when she is hungry, on those occasions she is definitely not calm. Usually, she just has the knack of taking things casually, purring heavily, as she curls herself up on her bed.
The electricity bill is not paid, our water tank is running on empty, the gas is about to finish. Mystique won't care one bit. You will find her just frolicking in the sun or lazing in bed the whole day. She will make you wonder whether having a conscience and the ability to think rationally is way overrated. Looking at her sleep the whole day can have you wishing God made you a cat.
This penchant for staying cool, calm and collected isn't just the preserve of our cat. As a Christian, possessing God's holy Spirit, and committing things to him in prayer, a far greater peace is within my grasp. Colossians 3;15 cites that as members of one body we were called to peace. Christ give us peace that transcends human understanding when we pray to him, focusing not to be anxious about anything, but offering our requests and petitions to him, with thanksgiving.
It's a peace that gives problems a cold shoulder. A peace that doesn't have us running scared or panicky when a job doesn't seem in sight, marriage and life with children looks a far way off or financial stability is just but a distant dream and just getting by is the norm. It's a peace so strong that it is comfortable not placing security in money, a career, a prized possession but is comfortable because of placing one's trust in Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.(Hebrews 12:2)
"Be still and know that I am God."(Psalms 46:10) You can argue that it's easier said than done, but when the storms of life rage around us, and you know Jesus is in the business of calming storms not necessarily removing them from your life, it's definitely possible to be cool, calm and collected.
5. I am prone to forget
Ripley's believe it not, take a bow, Mystique has just served us something special.
The setting was the kitchen. Ivan the terrible(I will bestow on the mouse/rat a name befitting for the misery it caused us) was finally reeling from the effects of consuming the rat-poison tablets. Ivan lay still on the floor, in almost plain sight, the poison had ravaged his body so he couldn't escape at will like he did so many times in the past. He was breathing heavily, gasping for air, counting down the days or hours to his demise.
As he lay helpless on the floor, rather curiously, the disdain I had for the pest disappeared. In it's place was pity, pity that Ivan had to depart from this world in such an undignified manner. Feeling woiyee for the rat, and not having the guts to put him out of his misery, I did what only any sane human being would do; I summoned Mystique, the undertaker, to carry out the execution.
Since I have never been a fan of horror flicks, I was naturally apprehensive about the blood spilling that was sure to follow. I tried to contemplate what would be Mystique's method of choice, would it be strangulation? Would she slowly torture Ivan to death or would she give him one of those fatal feline jabs like those ones Simba gave Scar(Scar, that's what you get for killing Mufasa). As our cat sauntered into the kitchen after I coaxed it out of it's sleep, you could feel the tension, the room was on a knife's edge as I looked on waiting for it all to unravel.
Then Mystique did the unthinkable. After I directed her to Ivan( she didn't even pick up his scent, smh), she took one glance at the rat, a sniff at him, and then casually walked out of the kitchen to bask in the sun to my utter bemusement.
Dear friends, was Tom and Jerry a sham? Were we so gullible as kids as to believe the lies we were fed by Cartoon Network? Seriously, when did cats lose interest in rats or mice? Maybe Garfield is based on a true story? There has to be a reason for this!!! Maybe, just maybe, Mystique possesses a conscience so clear that killing Ivan in the state he was in was sinking to the lowest of lows. It seemed to her downright pathetic. Perhaps, she strongly believed in a code of honor, ascribing to it so passionately that violating that code for a cheap meal was nothing short of distasteful.
However, my imagination is large, sometimes larger than life itself. In formulating these far-fetched explanations, I seem to be running away from the obvious truth. Mystique has lost her cat-ness. She has lost her identity as a cat, which is to hunt, stalk and kill vermin. She has forgotten her intrinsic predatory, feline instinct and has become a cultured cat, in dire need of refresher courses on how to be a cat. Although she may bare semblance of a cat; whiskers, paws, tails and all, she doesn't behave like one.
Mystique is not alone in this. Many times I forget my identity as a child of God, heir of God, co-heir with Christ.(Romans 8:17). I forget I have been forgiven of my sin of seeking to be independent from God or my occasional wrong-doing. Instead I opt to wallow in shame and regret over my sin of lust, stalking someone on social media, my lying. I beat myself up for my past mistakes,my failed relationships, my words of hurt to others not realizing my identity as a forgiven child of God for those many mistakes.
Like Mystique, I may look like a child of God, praying, reading God's word, having fellowship with other believers but I may forget my Christ-ness. I may forget my Christ-ness which is firmly entrenched on the solid foundation of Christ's love, grace and mercy for me, which was made very apparent on the Cross, when he shed his blood for me, eager to reconcile me to his father.
He bridged the gap that my sinful nature and sin had created between me and God, which no amount of righteous living could ever hope to fill by offering himself as a mediator between me and God. I forget because of what Jesus did, God sees Christ in me, perfect and sinless because with Jesus my sin is cancelled. He doesn't see me as the guy who just lusted at a lady, who has entertained bondage, domination masochism fantasies in his head, who has been pharisaical, cynical towards the growth in other believers' lives but he sees me as his child whom he still loves in spite of his mistakes, his sins and is making him into the likeness of his son day by day.
Like Mystique, I can become cultured. I can tend to focus on building my career, making investments, living just for the here and now and forget I have a God-given calling to love God, to live for him, to live with eternity in mind, to witness his grace, his love and share the gospel. I lose my Christ-ness when I focus on building my own kingdom rather than God's, sashaying away from reaching out to unbelievers, shying away from telling others about Jesus, opting to live the easy life of a job, marriage, kids and retirement.
Yet, despite all this, Jesus is still patient with me, Jesus still graciously gives me job opportunities, health and second chances galore to live for him and his will, to serve him and others by using my spiritual gifts and abilities. I need to get refresher courses of my identity, which the Holy Spirit does a splendid job of teaching. In applying John 14:26, He reminds me of what Jesus said to me through stirring sermons or talks, his word, songs, movies and rebukes from family and friends to get me back on track.
There are plenty of lessons to learn along the way when it comes to this walk of faith. I am thankful to God for showing me some of them through our cat. No-doubt he will show me plenty more through his word, through people, through life and circumstances. For now, like the student I am, I will learn and hopefully apply these lessons to grow and succeed in my walk with him. Thanks Mystique, class dismissed since you can say the word yourself our dear cat.
Mystique was not named after the shape-shifting X-men character, if she did possess shape-shifting powers, me and brother would be in serious trouble. I shudder to think what retribution she would serve us for the way, shall we say, 'mishandled' her in the past. She is Mystique, because she is a mysterious cat whose whereabouts before the Minishi household shall forever be shrouded in mystery. Mysterious she may be, but in all those years she has been with us, I have drawn some vital lessons from my life with Jesus just by observing the life of our 4-legged family member.
As scarcely believable as it sounds, it's true. Matter of fact, here are 5 lessons my cat has taught me about my walk with God;
1. Food is a big deal
Our beloved cat is very particular when it comes to food. She likes Whiskas or Go Cat cereal in meat flavors like rabbit, beef, veal, chicken. She likes cat jelly like FELIX- Purina as well. In spite of the pack or can containing chunks of cat food with the jelly, she opts to slurp up the jelly and leave us with chunks of jelly because she is a kind-hearted soul who loves to share her food.
She loves lungs, yes you heard me lungs, they are her favorite and mean that I have to go to Kawangware every once in a while to buy them for her from the Butchers who sell matumbo. Try feed her cereal with a vegetable flavor or fish flavor, omena, ugali, chapati, bread and she will give you that cold icy stare of "seriously, seriously, chapati, seriously, smh." Before, she sashays away thinking how her human masters just wasted 10 seconds of her precious cat life.
When she does get her food, she is not the kind to chomp it down in a minute, unless it's lungs or she's ravenously hungry; she normally eats in installments.
Mystique taught me that my spiritual food is a big deal. I should dig in with relish the same way she does, not just the 1 spiritual, happy meal of Sunday, but in installments, day by day, a chapter of scripture in addition to my Daily Bread devotional.
I'm also allowed to be choosy. I'm not compelled to consume whatever the media or contemporary culture feeds me in terms of fads. I must chose my music, movies, television viewing, philosophies, not everything I see is palatable for my spirit. Brazenly, I slurp the soup in music or movies I consider not bad which are mostly animation flicks and then leave out chunks which everyone sees as the main meal like Game of Thrones for example.
2. The door will be opened
At times she may let out a cry or a whimper, but rarely. she has taught me that I have to possess a similar, unwavering trust in God to open doors. I need to be still and in due time, he will open the door of a job, open the door of a healing, open the door of a relationship amongst other doors.
3. Some people will think you've lost it
Mystique has the curious habit of 'being in the moment' at times. Unfortunately for us, there is no preview to this state of being, it just happens.
During this period, our cat loses all sense of dignified calmness and scampers across the room like a lunatic.
Her dilated pupils, coupled with the intense look in her eyes paint the picture of a deranged cat. She looks left, dashes to the corner. Takes a breather, scurries off to the opposite side of the room, as the sound of her claws scratching across the wooden floor punctuate the air. Sometimes she tries to catch her tail, attempting in vain to bite it. One would be forgiven for thinking that our cat has lost the plot. Sometimes I think it to be the case, but for the most part, I realize Mystique is just being Mystique and she's not crazy regardless of what people think.
People might think me a fool/lunatic for believing in a God I can't see. People may find me weird or crazy for opting not to compromise on my integrity because I'm trying to practice what Jesus said and did. People may see me as insane for choosing not to follow the crowd. I know who I am, I'm not crazy, my identity is in Christ, not in my looks, possessions or a job. I'm not insane, it's just that my love for Jesus makes me do things which appear insane to an unbelieving world and I get it. I will just keep on, no matter what people think, I'll be in the moment.
4. Cool, calm and collected
The electricity bill is not paid, our water tank is running on empty, the gas is about to finish. Mystique won't care one bit. You will find her just frolicking in the sun or lazing in bed the whole day. She will make you wonder whether having a conscience and the ability to think rationally is way overrated. Looking at her sleep the whole day can have you wishing God made you a cat.
It's a peace that gives problems a cold shoulder. A peace that doesn't have us running scared or panicky when a job doesn't seem in sight, marriage and life with children looks a far way off or financial stability is just but a distant dream and just getting by is the norm. It's a peace so strong that it is comfortable not placing security in money, a career, a prized possession but is comfortable because of placing one's trust in Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.(Hebrews 12:2)
"Be still and know that I am God."(Psalms 46:10) You can argue that it's easier said than done, but when the storms of life rage around us, and you know Jesus is in the business of calming storms not necessarily removing them from your life, it's definitely possible to be cool, calm and collected.
5. I am prone to forget
Ripley's believe it not, take a bow, Mystique has just served us something special.
The setting was the kitchen. Ivan the terrible(I will bestow on the mouse/rat a name befitting for the misery it caused us) was finally reeling from the effects of consuming the rat-poison tablets. Ivan lay still on the floor, in almost plain sight, the poison had ravaged his body so he couldn't escape at will like he did so many times in the past. He was breathing heavily, gasping for air, counting down the days or hours to his demise.
As he lay helpless on the floor, rather curiously, the disdain I had for the pest disappeared. In it's place was pity, pity that Ivan had to depart from this world in such an undignified manner. Feeling woiyee for the rat, and not having the guts to put him out of his misery, I did what only any sane human being would do; I summoned Mystique, the undertaker, to carry out the execution.
Since I have never been a fan of horror flicks, I was naturally apprehensive about the blood spilling that was sure to follow. I tried to contemplate what would be Mystique's method of choice, would it be strangulation? Would she slowly torture Ivan to death or would she give him one of those fatal feline jabs like those ones Simba gave Scar(Scar, that's what you get for killing Mufasa). As our cat sauntered into the kitchen after I coaxed it out of it's sleep, you could feel the tension, the room was on a knife's edge as I looked on waiting for it all to unravel.
Then Mystique did the unthinkable. After I directed her to Ivan( she didn't even pick up his scent, smh), she took one glance at the rat, a sniff at him, and then casually walked out of the kitchen to bask in the sun to my utter bemusement.
Dear friends, was Tom and Jerry a sham? Were we so gullible as kids as to believe the lies we were fed by Cartoon Network? Seriously, when did cats lose interest in rats or mice? Maybe Garfield is based on a true story? There has to be a reason for this!!! Maybe, just maybe, Mystique possesses a conscience so clear that killing Ivan in the state he was in was sinking to the lowest of lows. It seemed to her downright pathetic. Perhaps, she strongly believed in a code of honor, ascribing to it so passionately that violating that code for a cheap meal was nothing short of distasteful.
However, my imagination is large, sometimes larger than life itself. In formulating these far-fetched explanations, I seem to be running away from the obvious truth. Mystique has lost her cat-ness. She has lost her identity as a cat, which is to hunt, stalk and kill vermin. She has forgotten her intrinsic predatory, feline instinct and has become a cultured cat, in dire need of refresher courses on how to be a cat. Although she may bare semblance of a cat; whiskers, paws, tails and all, she doesn't behave like one.
Mystique is not alone in this. Many times I forget my identity as a child of God, heir of God, co-heir with Christ.(Romans 8:17). I forget I have been forgiven of my sin of seeking to be independent from God or my occasional wrong-doing. Instead I opt to wallow in shame and regret over my sin of lust, stalking someone on social media, my lying. I beat myself up for my past mistakes,my failed relationships, my words of hurt to others not realizing my identity as a forgiven child of God for those many mistakes.
Like Mystique, I may look like a child of God, praying, reading God's word, having fellowship with other believers but I may forget my Christ-ness. I may forget my Christ-ness which is firmly entrenched on the solid foundation of Christ's love, grace and mercy for me, which was made very apparent on the Cross, when he shed his blood for me, eager to reconcile me to his father.
He bridged the gap that my sinful nature and sin had created between me and God, which no amount of righteous living could ever hope to fill by offering himself as a mediator between me and God. I forget because of what Jesus did, God sees Christ in me, perfect and sinless because with Jesus my sin is cancelled. He doesn't see me as the guy who just lusted at a lady, who has entertained bondage, domination masochism fantasies in his head, who has been pharisaical, cynical towards the growth in other believers' lives but he sees me as his child whom he still loves in spite of his mistakes, his sins and is making him into the likeness of his son day by day.
Like Mystique, I can become cultured. I can tend to focus on building my career, making investments, living just for the here and now and forget I have a God-given calling to love God, to live for him, to live with eternity in mind, to witness his grace, his love and share the gospel. I lose my Christ-ness when I focus on building my own kingdom rather than God's, sashaying away from reaching out to unbelievers, shying away from telling others about Jesus, opting to live the easy life of a job, marriage, kids and retirement.
Yet, despite all this, Jesus is still patient with me, Jesus still graciously gives me job opportunities, health and second chances galore to live for him and his will, to serve him and others by using my spiritual gifts and abilities. I need to get refresher courses of my identity, which the Holy Spirit does a splendid job of teaching. In applying John 14:26, He reminds me of what Jesus said to me through stirring sermons or talks, his word, songs, movies and rebukes from family and friends to get me back on track.
There are plenty of lessons to learn along the way when it comes to this walk of faith. I am thankful to God for showing me some of them through our cat. No-doubt he will show me plenty more through his word, through people, through life and circumstances. For now, like the student I am, I will learn and hopefully apply these lessons to grow and succeed in my walk with him. Thanks Mystique, class dismissed since you can say the word yourself our dear cat.
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