I have two inherited outdoor cats. I also have a dog that does not like cats. Why am I telling you this? Because of the third feral cat that showed up on my doorstep.
See, this third cat knows that I feed my cats in my front patio area where my dog cannot get to them. He or she learned to finish off the food my cats were not eating. Eventually, this cat started making my cats uncomfortable whenever they ate. You see, the cat hovered waiting for them to finish.
My solution to the problem was to start feeding the feral cat. At first, the cat would run across the street as soon as it saw me. Slowly, it would just move to the other side of the yard. I think it has figured out I will not hurt it, because now it just waits for me to put the food in front of it. This has been going on for months.
Here is where it got amusing for me. Even though I have actually pet it once or twice, it does not trust me enough to allow the contact. It tends to hiss at me when I appear to want to make personal contact. I kind of chuckle because it is coming to me to be fed.
Well, one morning after I had given it some food, I decided to return and it give it a little more. It had a little hissy fit. After I put the extra food down, it put its body over it to make sure I did not take it back.
I smiled to myself because I would not give the food to the cat only to take it back. Then, God got my attention. Are we any different from my dear feral cat? Do we come to Him for provision but resist any real contact? Do we enjoy what He provides but hiss at the thought that He might take it back?
Additionally, do we fear that one day He will not provide? Or, do we wonder if one day, like Job experienced, it will all be gone. Is our focus on the provision rather than the Provider? My dear feral cat is not interested in me, only with what I can provide. Are we any different?
Hopefully, we are. Hopefully, we are more interested in God than what He can provide.
Mary studied Mechanical Engineering as an undergraduate student. While studying she traded semesters working at NASA in Houston, Texas. It was while working at NASA that she felt the tug on her heart that God had another plan for her life. Upon graduation, Mary proceeded to serve as a missionary for the next 11 years of her life; she served in Greece the last two years of her service. Upon returning from Greece, she pursued her Master's degree in Counseling, which led to a job with a major university. It was while working there that God did what God faithfully does, she found herself working as an engineer again as she managed major construction projects for the university. She also pursued her Master's degree in Engineering Management and her Professional Engineering License. Mary now on her ministry and writing. When Mary left missionary service it was her desire to return to fulltime ministry one day. She had her first outline for a book in 1989 (a book she has yet to write). Her first book was published in May, 2014 with the second quickly on its heels in December, 2014. She continues to write and is developing an evangelistic series of books centered around Jesus Christ. Her prayer is that her books will bless others' relationships with our Father God and His word.