luke 15: 1-7, parable of the lost sheep

The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to him, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So to them he addressed this parable. “What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance. 

luke 15: 1-7

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Champaigne_shepherd.jpg

Jean Baptiste de Champaigne [Public domain]

we've always had a cat. 
at least it seems that way.
you see, Jenny has had a cat since as long as she can remember.
I've only had a cat for as long as we've been married--52+ years.

there have been a few times when we haven't had a cat.
most of those times have been relatively recent--when our cat died.
those times are hard.
each time, we got rid of our cat carrier, feeding/watering bowls, cat bed, cat toys, etc.--only to buy them all again later when we got a new cat.

we got our last cat when we were living in south carolina.
mocha was special. he was a rescue.
Jenny volunteered at a no-kill shelter in bluffton.
a couple visiting the area brought mocha to the shelter when they rescued him.
they found him in a wildlife preserve where there were many alligators.
the vet said that mocha was there probably a week or more after he was abandoned.
a previous owner had mocha's front claws removed.
the vet said that he didn't know how mocha survived his ordeal.

mocha wouldn't come out of his carrier when we first brought him home.
but, when he finally did come out, mocha knew that he had been rescued.
mocha knew immediately that Jenny cared for him and loved him.
he never showed any signs of his wildlife preserve ordeal after that. 
mocha was a great joy to us--including Jenny's mom who was living with us.
it was hard when mocha died.

after several years we adopted Nicholas, our current cat.
Nicholas was a rescue too, but we don't know his story.
Jenny cares for and loves nicholas--just like she did with mocha.
but unlike mocha, nicholas still needs rescuing. 
there are times when he's afraid, seemingly unsure that he's OK now.

nicholas and I have a lot in common.
some of us still need rescuing even though we know that God, and others, love us.

           faith 

                      hope 

                                  love