My daughter-in-law to be, Darcy, took in a stray tom cat in the fall that seemed to be near death. His ear was torn from fighting, his body ravaged and gaunt from infection and lack of food. A couple of visits to the vet, regular food and lots of loving care have saved him. This spring he looked like a changed cat. But actually, he isn’t. I found that out the other day when I stopped in with a gift.

I had Dudley my pup with me. We entered the house and suddenly a ferocious ball of hissing fur leaped at him. Dudley jumped back and I quickly put him out the door. The tom then attacked the window hissing and hitting it with his paws. Within seconds their resident mother cat Molly jumped on Mr. Street Fighter and gave him back what he tried to do to Dudley. When Darcy finally got the tom into the bathroom, I let Dudley back in. Molly sat under the desk completely ignoring him. It was as if she was saying, “That’s no way to treat a visitor, even if he is a dog!”
It made me think of how we can behave when we meet someone who is different. Rather than taking the time to get to know them, we often make our judgements and come out fighting. That is not how Jesus treated people as He walked on this earth and if we are to call ourselves His followers we need to look more closely at what He has commanded us to do. But, honestly, we cannot make any real changes unless there is a drastic change on the inside. Our problem is not on the outside. A heart change is needed. That comes by God’s Spirit. We can always be nice for a time, but without a miracle, when we are pushed, we will, like the stray tom, revert to who we really are. Actions speak much louder than words.
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