Time for a Trim

Cats are peculiar. Yes, I am generalizing and advocating the stereotype. I did not grow up wanting to be a cat owner. My childhood dream was to have a dog. I was a teenager before that dream became a reality. And I loved my dog. Queen lived up to her name. She was regal and fiercely protective of me. We got along well. But cats….nah. I could not see myself being a cat owner. Fast forward twenty years, and here I sit typing while this weird guy looks on.

Fitz, my cat, has given me a crash course in the life of a cat owner. He enjoys windowsills tremendously. Napping is an art form that he has mastered. Food has to be distributed at around the same time every day or he gets testy. And then there are his nails. When allowed to grow long enough, they are needle-sharp. Sure, that helps him in the wild. But he is not in the wild. He lives in this house with me. And nail clipping is a cat owner’s responsibility that I had not ever considered.

Clipping his nails was much easier when he was a kitten. They were so tiny and so was he. I could bundle him up and get the job done lickety-split. Well, all that napping and regular food distribution have helped him grow. Tiny is a thing of the past. This means nail clipping has gotten more complex. He does not like it and neither do I. He will let me play with his paws all day long with no complaint. But if the nail clippers are in my hand, our interaction gets more…how should I say this…interesting.

Cats are not the only peculiar creatures roaming around. Deuteronomy 14:2 says that the Lord has chosen us to be a peculiar people. And I fit that description perfectly. When I was young in the faith, I would accept the embrace of older believers that just wanted to clip the tips of some of my sharper qualities. You know…the qualities that had the potential to harm someone else. Those qualities helped me stay safe in the wild, but I was no longer in the wild. I was safely in the Father’s house.

Maybe I got too comfortable or complacent. I started to sleep on the things that God called me to do. My nails got longer. Needle sharp actually. And many of the qualities that had previously been clipped away, started to create potential to harm other believers. While I allowed family close to me, if they started to challenge me to clip away my sharp edges….our interaction got….interesting.

Maybe you are peculiar like me, and my crazy cat, and have qualities that need refining. While neither of us likes the process of a good trimming, it’s necessary. Our interactions with others in the body of Christ have the potential to scratch them up in a space that is supposed to be safe. We may not do it intentionally, but it stings whether it was intentional or accidental. Look inside. Is it time for a trim? #wepreach