I have had my share of pets. I had the usual dog that the kids promised to feed, but always forgot. We even had a tarantula. When the kids became teenagers, the dog died. That was it for me. No more pets. At least that’s what I thought. We were adamant, no pets. That’s my final answer. But a stray cat showed up in our neighborhood. She meowed at my son and rubbed her soft calico fur against his legs. He went inside and she tried to follow. When my husband spotted her, he searched the cabinets until he found a can of tuna and fed it to her. That finalized the matter- she had found a home.

I learned…what you feed becomes yours. 

When you feed your mind negative self-talk it becomes yours. When you feed low self-esteem it becomes yours. I love the old saying, “You can’t keep birds from flying over, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.” You can’t let self defeating thoughts stay. Throw rocks at those bad thoughts by declaring what God says about you. Your self-talk is very important. The story of the man and his barn in the Bible was self-talk, not a conversation he had aloud. (Luke 12:17-20) Think on God’s Word. You are not dumb. You are not stupid. You can do all things through Christ which strengthens you. Think on that instead of defeating thoughts. 

My son named the cat Baby. She moved in like she owned the place. When we drive up, she meets us in the driveway. She is so confident of her place as queen in the Holland house that she refuses to move out of the way when we try to park our car.

Then she started on me. When I would get out of the car, she meowed at me and rubbed her soft fur against my legs, but I didn’t want a pet. She sat on the ledge outside my office window and peeked below the window blind at me. She meowed at me through the window. She peeped inside the house through the sidelights at the door. She walked with me to the mailbox, but I ignored her. She didn’t stop. Day after day, she continued her pursuit.

Finally, I could resist her persistence no longer. One day I bent down and rubbed her soft fur. She persisted, meowing at me and  I continued rubbing her soft fur day after day. One day I gathered her in my arms and petted her for a long time. I hate to admit it, but this cat hater, has fallen in love.

I learned: persistence wins.

That cat taught me love never fails. Just don’t quit loving too soon. Be persistent. Is there a parent that’s giving you problems? Love them. Is there a difficult relationship on your staff? Love them. Is there a child in your class that is giving you fits? Love them. Don’t quit. Jesus said, “Love never fails.” We just fail to love.

There is five acres of unoccupied land behind our house. It has a house, several sheds, a barn and large open fields on it. The storage sheds have been the home and birthing room for several wild cats since we moved here. I noticed one in my yard after Baby arrived. The back lot cat cautiously approached the food on my porch. If we got close or if the door opened suddenly she would disappear into the shrubs or through the fence. She was always afraid of us. She never took the food we offered, she stood her distance. Three words described this back lot cat- skinny, afraid and hungry. What was different about this cat? Why wouldn’t she eat what we offered when she was so undernourished? The difference between Baby and the back lot cat was attitude-plain and simple. One was afraid; the other trusted. One was confident; the other self-conscious. One is bold; the other shy. One is aggressive; the other backward. All these words describe nothing more than attitude. I am convinced attitude is the key that unlocks so many doors in life. Attitude is something that can be shaped and honed by renewing your mind with God’s word. My attitude determines how I approach God. Do I approach him fearfully, expecting to be hit over the head with a stick? Or do I approach him like Babe, lovingly and expectantly?   One cat left hungry. The other, full and satisfied, curled into my lap to be petted.  I learned: my attitude may be keeping me skinny spiritually.