So That's How He Feels

Living on a farm, one usually has at least one feral cat hanging around. Currently we have one to two, depending on the day. One seems to have taken up permanent residence in the hen house the past couple of years earning the name Coop for obvious reasons. Graydon is our come-and-go feral cat. Not sure I can technically call him feral anymore as he comes running up wanting to be petted. He even enjoys being picked up and cuddled. He’ll hang around for a while, then head out for new adventures and we won’t see him for days. When weeks pass, we fear the worst as the local coyotes need to eat also. It had been over a month since anyone had seen Graydon.
Then something totally unexpected caught my attention while working in the studio. My head shot around to get a better look at what was running towards the sliding door from the gazebo. It was Graydon! He didn’t make a slow casual approach; he ran to the door meowing loudly in desperation to be seen and united again. It was difficult to tell if he was starving more for food or affection. I was just as happy to see him. We were tripping over each other on the walk to his food dish under the tree, both of us stopping to express our affections with pets and cuddles along the way.
Walking back in the house I had to smile as I realized this is probably how Christ feels when we come running back to Him after being gone for a while. Despite where we have been, or how long we’ve been gone, He greets us with excitement and joy on His face. I wouldn’t be surprised if He even gives us a big bear hug. He sees and understands, without questions, any desperation that may be in our eyes. None of that matters now because He knows if we remain with Him, our mistakes will be forgiven, and our souls can find peace and safety. He’s just glad we came back and hopes we will hang around for a while to enjoy a relationship with Him!

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