CATS IN THE GARAGE

Did you know that locking your cats in the garage is a divine principle?  Well, maybe not, but it does make a good illustration.  We used to have two cats named Mookie and Buster.  They were declawed, so they weren’t allowed to run outside.  Buster was such a meek cat we were afraid to let him out in case the chick-a-dees worked him over.    

 

But we did have a compromise- a gray metal door lead from our house to the garage- a gateway to their very own “wilderness.”  It had the smell of the great outdoors (grass under the mower); fresh air (our leaky garage door); and wild animals (the occasional mouse).  Yes, it satisfied the untamed spirit in all the comfort and safety of home. 

 

Their only problem was getting back into the house.  Only if someone was downstairs, would they hear the squeak of clawless paws against that metal door and open it. 

 

But every so often one cat would decide to hang out a bit longer.  We’d stand there for a few seconds then the “door of opportunity” would close.  And sure enough, five minutes later it was- “meow, meow, scrape, squeak….”  Sorry fuzzball!  Timing is everything.  You had your chance.

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It’s just another morning in Nazareth.  A professional man is sitting at his desk.  It has a wonderful view with a Galilean breeze blowing off the sea.  Work is routine and a stream of faceless hands begrudgingly pass over their tax payments.  The man’s house is full, but more and more, he finds his heart is empty.  As he concentrates on his numbers, he absently hears the shuffle of sandals on the floor, but there is no jingle of coins on his desk, just silence.  Curious, he looks up and finds himself staring into the very eyes of God.  In the midst of the mundane, the unimaginable has happened.  “Follow me.” The voice says, and then walks out.  The gray metal door has just opened.

 

From Genesis to Revelation, God has worked this way.  His invitation comes unexpectedly with a limited time to respond.  Fortunately, a tax collector named Matthew saw the value and the urgency.  He walked away from his desk and became one of Jesus’ closest followers and a writer of the Gospel. (Mat 9:9)

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Everyone has their “garages” in which they reside.  Then suddenly the door opens.  There’s an invitation… a gateway to real significance.  God may use circumstances, a heart softened at just the right moment, or even a tough lesson of life.  Whatever it is, the door has been opened to come inside.  Inside where?

God says-

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart….”  Jer 1:5 

God has a place in this life for each of us to be what we were designed to be- the real us.  And to do what we were designed to do- our real purpose. 

 

It is home.  It is a place we can never go without God.  He is the designer.  It is His hand that opens the door.  But lives end, circumstances change, and hearts turn.  So, just like the cats, like Matthew, it is a door that only stays open for so long.  There is a compassionate and divine invitation, but timing is everything.

~Pastor Kevin