Mufasa was my daughter’s cat.  He was a big, shy, tabby cat. When he came to live with me, he hid under my daughter’s bed for weeks.

 I’ve never been much of a cat lover, so the fact that the cat stayed in my daughter’s room was fine by me. He had a typical stereotypical cat personality. He was very aloof and kept to himself, except when my daughter was present.  If she were there, he would follow her around like a puppy.  I would laugh and comment on how much that cat loved his girl.  My daughter was crazy in love with her cat, and the cat was crazy in love with my daughter. They had an extraordinary relationship.

It seemed Mufasa and I had a tense peace. We respected each other’s space.  We put a small cat stand by the window in my daughter’s bedroom so he could look outside.  I would occasionally catch him there or lying at the foot of her bed.  It took a long time for him to feel secure enough to venture out of my daughter’s room.   Eventually, he became brave enough to quietly lie next to her open bedroom door at the top of the stairs.  When I would walk by him, I would say, “Hello Mufasa,” hoping he would get used to my voice and become less skittish.

As time went by, he relaxed a bit. I would gently touch the top of his head when I walked by, always saying something to him and using his name.  As more time passed, I was able to kneel and pet him without him running back under the bed.

The cat stayed in my home for two and a half years.  Very slowly, Mufasa went from a cat hiding under a bed to a cat sleeping next to me with his paw on my shoulder. It took us a long time to build our relationship, but it grew into something very special. 

And so it can be with human relationships.  We need to invest ourselves in others with no expectation of return on our investment.

Trust, more often than not, takes time to grow.  There will be some relationships that never grow at all, but let’s not give up too quickly. Perhaps with a bit of extra grace, patience, and understanding, we can build an amazing, unexpected relationship with the most unlikely candidate.

I will admit I still don’t like cats, but Mufasa was different.  Together we built our own very special bond.  He was not just any cat; he was my friend.  He was a beautiful example of how a little time and effort can result in an unexpected turn of events.  

Wishing you joy and peace,

Lorrie

Romans 12: 10 – 13

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.