Desiring the master

I’m writing this with a cat whispering sweet nothings in my ear. No, wait, he is now in the other room because the sweet nothings turned into ear nipping. Did you know cats can fly?

The cat belongs to my son, who is gone to camp this week. They wrestle together, sleep together, eat together. My son loves this cat.

Today the cat has climbed my leg three times, put his nose in my face four times, and tried to lick my nose once. He annoys me.

But another image comes to mind, too.

As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God.

Psalms 42:1

If I were Eugene Peterson, I might say, as a cat gets in my face because it misses its master so much….

We shut the cat up in our son’s bedroom this morning after he chewed on my husband’s chin. When he got out (the cat, of course), he went straight for my lap, climbing bare legs with sharp kitten claws. He doesn’t think about how to please us because he’s desperate for our touch. Just being touched and held consumes him.

And it’s making me wonder. Do I miss the presence of my Lord as much as this purring cat in my lap?

But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Deut 4:29