My mom once told me that by being a mother, she was able to better understand the heart of God and His love for us than before entering parenthood. That always intrigued me, but now, as the “mother” to my newly adopted cat, I’m starting to understand what my mom meant.

Shelly is your typical cat. She has her own personality, and while she is sweet and affectionate, she often does as she pleases. If she feels like sitting on your lap and cuddling, that’s what she’ll do. If she doesn’t feel like it, then no matter how many times you try to get her to stay on your lap, she’ll just run away. While I’d love for her to cuddle with me all the time, I’ve learned to simply accept the fact that that’s not going to happen, and just take joy during the times it does.

She can be a trouble maker as well, scratching up the furniture and me, jumping onto counters, and knocking things over. Do I get angry? Of course. Do I scold her? You bet. But my anger goes away as quick as it comes. After all, she’s my baby, and she’s also a cat. I can’t expect from a cat what I would from another human being.

In the end, I know that regardless of what crazy antics she pulls or how my legs and arms my be covered in scratches, I’ll still love her. Isn’t this exactly how our Father in heaven feels about us? Despite our sins and many shortcomings, He still loves us all the same. It’s just like Paul says:

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39

And in the same way I’m delighted every time Shelly comes up to cuddle with me, God delights in us spending time with Him. It doesn’t matter what I’m doing, but if Shelly comes up to me, I’ll put everything aside to spend time with her. If I can feel this way about a cat, how much more love can God feel for us?