Adopted

We have a new addition to the Richmond household. Apparently two kittens have taken up residence beneath the shed in the back yard. As far as I can tell they are only a couple of months old and my guess is that the mother abandoned them there. Of course as soon as they were discovered my daughters were begging to keep them. We already have one cat and the last thing I wanted were two more. But one kitten was so timid and cowed by the other. She almost never ate because her sister would eat all the food and keep her away from the food dish. So we brought the abused one inside, bathed her and fed her. Our other cat seemed none too upset over the smaller feline, so reluctantly (alright, I'm a big softy) we decided to keep the gray and white kitten (named 'Storm' by Ellie's friend, Jackie).

What about the other kitten? We took her to a shelter to be adopted by some other soft-hearted family. As I thought about it, I realized what we did for Storm, God does every day. He takes the weak, lost and abandoned and claims them for His own. He takes those who hunger and can do nothing to satisfy their appetites, and He feeds them (see Matthew 5:4ff). He takes those covered by the filth of this world and cleanses them (Titus 3:5). He takes the abused and neglected and protects them.

He adopts us.
He cares for us.
He shelters us.

Why? Because, like me, God has a soft spot for those who have been orphaned by the world. He takes the shut out and opens His doors for them. He offers His hospitality to those who realize that this world is not their home. God's love is both inexplicable and limitless. His ways are mysterious and sometimes He uses the weakest things of the world, like an abandoned kitten, to teach us a lesson in how to view those who we deem unlovable, unacceptable and unworthy of our attention.

It's my prayer that my heart is softend to the point where I feel the same compassion for the addict, homeless and vile as God did for me. May your heart be softened also.