Meet our new kitten!  We adopted her a few weeks ago from our local animal shelter, and she is wonderful.  We lost our two other cats…one to age, and one to a snake bite..and we were devastated.  After having cats on our screened in porch for 15 years, we were lost without one.  So off we went to the animal shelter, and found ourselves faced with SO many kittens/cats that there was a huge room full, in cages, and a cage full of kittens in the front office.  It was overwhelming, and that didn’t even include the huge inside area where they keep all the dogs.  We walked through the room, looking at this cat and that one, letting them lick our fingers and try to attract our attention.  I was asking questions to the attendant that was with us…how old was this one, was this a male/female, etc, etc.  I specifically wanted a female, and not a kitten, but not too old.  The female request was because the my cat that had died from the snake bite was only 3 years old, and male, and he would not stay at home…I found him dead in my yard the Wednesday before we went to the shelter, and was not willing to have another wanderer.

One of my granddaughters spotted this cutie, so I asked about her.  They gave me her statistics, and because they name all the animals they take in, I asked about hers.  It was Joy.  Joy!  After the heartache of the previous few days, I knew this was our cat!  So we began the paperwork, and as we finished, they asked me what I was going to name her.  There was no hesitation on my part, as I told them her name was perfect and I wouldn’t dare change it.  A few minutes and $75 later, she was mine, and they put her in a temporary carrier and off we went home.  Thankfully, it was a short drive…because she was not even close to happy in that box.  She clawed and chewed and about the time we got home, the box was torn in several places!  After unpacking her, she made a beeline towards the closest “safe space” she could find – behind our freezer – and refused to come out.

Fast forward two weeks later, and I have the happiest kitten in town!  She slowly learned that the porch was her new home, and that we were people she could trust.  She stayed behind the freezer at first, coming out only when we went out, but stayed out longer each time.  Then she began exploring…a little here, a little there…and began eating more.  Her little sides began to fill out, and her personality emerged.  She now leaps and jumps from loveseat to chair to ground, and plays with all her toys.  She continues to find new areas…the wooden ledges between screen panels is her new discovery…and she is relaxed and “at home” completely. Her world has expanded from a cage and small building, to a huge porch and eventually the whole yard.

So why am I blogging about her?  Glad you asked!  Her backstory is why, and the spiritual analogy is unmistakable.  Joy was born in the shelter…her mom came in pregnant, and all Joy had ever known was the shelter and a cage.  She didn’t ask to be born that way, it just happened.  But she was a prisoner for sure…destined to stay there and eventually be put to sleep if she was not adopted.  Her surroundings were not happy…cramped, crowded, and full of the constant noise of other animals in her condition.  Her present was at best tolerable, and at worst her future was hopeless. And without us paying the adoption fee and taking her home, it was.

Sound familiar?  It should.  Every one of us, without Jesus as our Lord and Savior, are in the same boat!  We were all born into a world that we didn’t create…we had no choice about that, just like Joy.  And also like her, we didn’t choose to be in an imperfect world..crowded, noisy, miserable, and bleak.  It is hard to accept for some, but we were also born in a cage – sin!  Although Joy had moments of peace (when she was bathed) and happiness (when she was let out to roam or be petted) those were never permanent.  She was always placed back in the cage, to wait for another opportunity to be let out….and those were few and far between.  It was an unending cycle, sad and filled with the same thing, day in and day out.

The lives of people without Jesus are the same way.  They are born in the cage of sin, and trapped.  They are occasionally “let out” by some temporary happiness or moments of peace..marriage, the birth of children, new jobs, promotions, achievements..but life eventually reverts back to a pattern of sameness and despair.  And just like Joy, after a certain period of time (a lifetime) if there is no change, the end is certain death.  But then…they meet Jesus!  While we paid for Joy and took her to a new home, HE lived, died, and rose again to take us to a PERMANENT home!  Our payment was $75, but His was the giving of His very life.  And like our kitten, when adoption happens by the blood of Jesus, our whole world is changed! We are given a new “home” – one outside the cage of sin.  We are free to roam, grow, explore, and really live.  Peace becomes regular, as does life without the constant worry about what happens next.  We have a permanent “new family” – the family of God, with Him as our Father.

So what does that mean?  As Joy continues to grow and explore, there are hurdles.  She falls off things a LOT.  Her little paws are not sturdy enough yet to hang on to everything she manages to climb.  Her body gets bumped, and the way is not smooth.  When she begins to go outside, she’ll find even more hurdles and obstacles.  I can’t take those away, but she will learn that she can ALWAYS come home and be safe and comforted.  Same with us.  As we learn and grow in our faith and walk with the Lord, He does not take away the painful parts…He just gives us a safe place (His arms) to come to, and gives us Someone to comfort us…the Holy Spirit.

Does this describe your life?  Or are you like our Joy, who was once trapped and lost and hopeless in her life?  If you are, please know that Jesus is the answer…and that He’s not far away if you begin to seek Him.  He will change your life, adopt you, and set you on a new path to freedom in His name.  Amen.