I just finished holding Tig in my arms and gently coaxing her to eat a little food and some milk. [I know...milk. But she loves it and at this point who am I to deny the poor little thing.] Anyway, as I was holding her, thoughts were still floating through my mind from the evening's activities. This evening was spent in the company of good friends, recently forming a Life Group committed to the six week video study of "The Life You've Always Wanted". I read the book a few years ago and parts of it still mean a lot to me, so along with the benefit of actually forming a Bible study group with these friends instead of merely meaning to, I thought the group discussion of such a good book would and could actually change our lives. Or that's what I'm hoping.

So as I was holding my little cat, who, when she isn't sleeping, has returned to the behavior of mindlessly walking in circles and whimpering off and on until one of us picks her up and lays her down, this is what I thought: She isn't herself, or who she was created to be. She is helpless right now to fix it. She probably isn't even able to recognize that we intercede in her weakness. She just knows something isn't quite right with her world. In efforts to fix it by herself, she is only able to walk in circles and gets absolutely nowhere until she just falls over and falls asleep. Her only sustenance is received when one of us picks her up from her helpless estate and sticks her little nose in the milk until she realizes what's in front of her failing eyes. As I was holding her tonight, I smiled when she actually ate the food from the spoon I held in front of her, because I knew it might make the difference between her life and death. I knew she couldn't find the food on her own and that she might not even realize she needed it and will starve without it. She's so weak I'm not sure she knows she's even hungry, but I know. I know if I can just get her to take that first bite, she might just remember what it was like to be hungry, to be thirsty, to be well.

And I thought that to a soul that might have forgotten what it was like to be hungry and thirsty for the Living Word; to a heart that might be weak and ailing from disappointment or disillusionment; to a mind that might have lost it's desire to be filled with more than this world has to offer or a life that has simply gotten sucked into a vicious set of circles... well, maybe that's what it's like to be held in the arms of God as He "sticks" our noses into this manna that gives life only He can give, and living water that only satisfies and He smiles when He sees us eat and drink, knowing it will make the difference between life and death.

So here's to being hungry and thirsty. Here's to being whole. Here's to finding this life we want more than anything...and finding it together. I love you all.