A Heart After God, A Heart That Trusts

[elysian]

God cares more about where our hearts are than our actions, as Jesus made clear when He called the Pharisees whitewashed tombs. One of the things that so distinguished King David was not that he behaved perfectly (he certainly sinned and failed a lot just like we do) but that he had a heart for God. I pray that we would have a heart for God like David did.

While we are fashioned in God's image, God is reflected in all His creation including His animals. Sometimes we can see more clearly what God is trying to teach us through our interactions and stewardship of animals- I've
learned a lot both from dog-training and from living with cats. :) (Four
cats...two dogs, the younger dog was rescued from abuse/neglect by the Humane Society, and I have been learning volumes from her on the nature of trust, healing and reconciliation)

One doesn't train a cat, rather the challenge is to convince the cat that she
wants to do what you want her to do. We have had cats for years (we are
relatively new to dogs, but are discovering how rewarding living with and
training dogs is as well) and we generally take cats that would otherwise have
no other option. Forrest is one such 11th hour rescue- he was going to be
euthanized the following day if no one wanted him- and nobody did want the
sullen, scared, hurting Siamese/tabby mix with the frightened blue eyes who was crouching in the furthest corner of the crate. Nobody but us. Forrest was abused by his first owner and had his jaw broken from being kicked in the face. He had difficulty eating and required oral surgery so that he could eat and drink more easily and so that he could attempt to groom himself. He had absolutely no trust of humans- especially men- and the first six months with us he hid in the basement and would not coe out willingly. It took long hours of coaxing and reassuring and convincing Forrest that he was safe in our home. Three years later we have achieved some pleasing victories- he will seek me out for attention and cuddling as long as it is one-on-one (he does not like strangers or crowds and will hide) and he interacts and plays with two of our other cats. When he came to us he had no idea what play was. Forrest trusts but on a limited scale with conditions- which is a far better prognosis than most feline behaviorists would have given him. He is still struggling with trust, yet I continue to encourage him and reinforce the truth to him that "humans are OK, other cats and dogs are fun to be around, it's great to play, and it's nice to cuddle."

Isabel is another of our cats who was abandoned in a grocery store parking lot at the age of about four weeks. At first I hesitated to even try to retrieve
her as I assumed she was probably feral and would run. But Isabel was a picture of perfect trust- I was able to pick up this tiny, hand-sized kitten with
absolutely no problem. She was so compliant- and wanting to snuggle and purr- that at first I thought she was ill. A check with the emergency vet hospital dispelled that fear- she was in perfect health, just a bit small to be separated from her mother.

Though she had no reason to trust me, and no facts to base her trust on, Isabel simply trusted. Had I not been someone who loves and cares for cats, Isabel's trust could have led to torture or worse for her. I have to protect her (as well as the rest of my cats) by keeping her indoors. It is especially crucial to keep Isabel indoors because she is all black (as well as is one of our other cats, Spot) and some cruel and ignorant people have been known to commit atrocious acts on black cats. Thankfully she has not been exposed to cruelty and she is a loving, affectionate, incredibly trusting cat- who doesn't even mind the dogs (our dogs are gentle and cat-loving)- and who groomed Forrest when he was unable to do this himself. He trusted her before he would trust me.

Most of us are somewhere within the two extremes. Forrest had known extreme abuse and pain at the hands (and feet) of humans for the first three years of his life. He has every reason to distrust, and if we want to convince him to trust we need to prove it and reinforce it constantly. Isabel- from tiny
kittenhood forward- has always experienced humans being kind to her and caring for her and has never known cruelty. We are all a little bit like Forrest- we have areas in our lives in which we have been injured, we've been burned and we are deathly afraid to trust. Forrest's extreme distrust sometimes works to his detriment- he misses out on a lot of loving attention because of his fear.

Likewise we can be a little bit too much like Isabel- so trusting that we're naive and ill-equipped to defend ourselves against those who would attack us. Neither extreme is healthy for us.

Jesus said, "be shrewd as serpents and as harmless as doves." (Matthew 10:16) Like Forrest we have plenty of legitimate reasons to be shrewd in our dealings with the world- I think we know what it is to get kicked in the face, to be betrayed, to be hurting. We cannot trust people fully either, including ourselves.

Jesus is telling us that we shouldn't trust the world and its "wisdom"- there
are times when being like Forrest is a good thing- but that we can fully trust
Him with the same kind of unconditional trust that Isabel has in the safety of
our home and family- a trust that has never known hurt or pain or betrayal.

Our obedience to God is the end result of trusting Him- trusting Him with
"Isabel trust" that defies our logic, especially when we've probably had life
experiences more in line with Forrest's. We can only have "Isabel trust" in God by the Holy Spirit's power- the Holy Spirit Who transforms our hearts and minds to God's will. And we still have to be like Forrest in our dealings with the world- a wariness summed up in the Russian proverb, "trust but verify."

I am praying for you and with you that we can be completely trusting in Jesus
our Savior- knowing that it is only by the Holy Spirit's power that we are able
to become living sacrifices to God, and only by His power that our hearts and
minds are changed.

I am praying for you and with you according to God's words spoken through the prophet Ezekiel:
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will remove
your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." Ezekiel 36:26 (HCSB)

[mossrose]

Thank you, El!

(And it's SO good to see you! )

[Cary]

That is absolutely beautiful! You touched on something that has been a constant love in my life. I was intune with animals from the first moment I can remember. Luckily my parents sensed that and allowed me to build on that connection. Having a dog allowed me to trust when I felt I couldn't trust human beings or God. When I was eight, I witnessed the violent death of my little brother, who was three. Not knowing how to process my grief, I would often hide in my closet crying and my little dog would sit on my lap, licking my hands and tears, like she knew I needed comforting. I now have two dogs and two cats. When I pray on my knees, my Sadie rests her head on my hands. It's such an unconditional love. There are two adults and two teenage boys in our house and the dogs inevitably are at my feet wherever I go. If I could trust in the Lord unconditionally the way my dogs trust me, that could only be a beautiful thing. Your post touched my heart and I thank you for sharing.

[elysian]

Thank you, El!

(And it's SO good to see you! )

I only wish I had the ability to be here more often - I can't get on at work anymore and every time I try at home either my kid's on it or I get my husband snooping over my shoulder (which I absolutely can't stand- he's really good at minding his own business unless he wants something or knows he is annoying me.)

And yes God speaks volumes through animals. Sometimes I think they "get it" better than we do in many ways.