It was one year-ago this weekend when Macaroni or "Roni" for short, came into this world as a small kitten. What you must know is that for years, my daughter Cara has always wanted an orange kitty. So when their hearts collided last year ... it was love at first sight. What's even sweeter is Nolan is an animal lover so the idea of adopting a feline into their family was nothing shy of, well ... purr-fect! (smile)
From the time they brought Roni home, he had a rough go of it. He stayed sick ... and was weak, and just wasn't doing well at all. After much time and money invested in his health, they got the horrible news of a dreaded cat disease. To say that Roni fought for his life would be a BIG understatement. We cried over this baby kitty. We prayed for this baby kitty. We were just sick because of his suffering and yet, in our hearts, we felt hopeful of his slight chance for recovering.
Celebrating Roni's first birthday this weekend was so much more than the Weeks' clan coming together and singing happy birthday to one great cat. It was the fact that Roni was alive, in spite of the odds against him ... in spite of a dreaded disease that doesn't allow most of it's victims to live longer than a few weeks. You must know that for me, a whole year later, Roni's life was a tremendous reminder of two great truths about this God in whom I profess to believe:
1) He does answer prayer: God doesn't always answer the way we want Him to, but He does answer. I can't tell you how many of my animal loving family members and friends who also asked God to strengthen and spare the life of His furry creation. In this case, God nodded and brought healing.
2) God does care about the things I care about: I know some folks who absolutely HATE cats and would say that God could care less about them (oh, be still my heart). But what I do know, and what I am a concrete believer of, thanks in part to Roni ... that God cares a tremendous amount over EVERYTHING that I care about. Absolutely everything.
"Cast all your anxiety [troubles, cares, the things that burden you] on the Lord because He cares for you!" (1 Peter 5:7)
I believe with all my heart that the God of this Universe, the Creator and Sustainer of my life and yours, cares deeply about each one of us ... our lives ... and everything we care about.
He proved that to me through one scrawny orange kitty name Roni. He winked as He reminded me a whole year later so that I'd never forget it.
"O LORD [Covenant Maker/Promise Keeper God], what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him? (Psalm 144:3)
He cares for you, friend ... He really, REALLY does.
"The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him." (Nahum 1:7)