Our move to North Carolina is complete. There are still boxes all over our condo and a cat in the guest bathroom, but we’re here. Praise God!
In the midst of unpacking and making our condo livable, we’ve been doing our best to help little Wrai adjust. If you missed my post, “About Wrai,” you can search for it on Substack. We borrowed a cat trap from my daughter, and the day before our move were able to catch Wrai and take him to the vet, where he was treated for worms, fleas, and other problems common to homeless cats.
Moving can be traumatic for cats, so we have followed the advice of some feline advisors and created a safe space for Wrai. As I mentioned, he’s living in the guest bathroom, spending most of his time in the little cat house we bought him when living in Pensacola. He’s not eating much, but he is eating. As he adjusts, showing signs of renewed energy, we will open the bathroom door and allow him to find his way around the condo, eventually opening the door to the outside.
During times of trauma, cats need a safe space. People too.
I love the words of Psalm 27:5: “For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.”
The rock David speaks of in this verse is the temple. In verse four, he says that he will seek God in his temple. Today, living in the light of the New Covenant established through the cross and resurrection, we understand that temple to be Jesus.
“Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days,” Jesus told the religious leaders. And John tells us that “the temple he had spoken of was his body.” (John 2:21)
Just two chapters later, Jesus is talking with the Samaritan woman by the well outside of Sychar. She raises a controversial issue, one that has divided Christians for years and is, in fact, still a major source of division among us - worship.
“Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain,” she told Jesus, “but you Jews claim where the place we must worship is in Jerusalem.” (John 4:20)
Worship wars are nothing new in the church. They have existed for centuries. In his book entitled Worship Wars, Robert Bakss surveys the turmoil created by different worship practices over the years.
A few years ago, a young pastor-friend told me about an experience with a former well-known pastor and president of the Southern Baptist Convention. After inviting my friend to lunch, this prominent pastor rebuked him for both the place and style of his church’s worship. Evidently, movie theatres and rock-style praise worship is an abomination to God.
But Jesus’s answer to the woman by the well settles this issue of worship once and for all. “a time is coming,” he says, “and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” (John 4:23)
Our “safe place” is Jesus. He is God’s temple, God’s place of worship and praise. As we abide in him, living each day in an attitude of worship, praise, and thanksgiving, the peace of God which passes understanding will guard our hearts and minds. And I love what one of my reader’s pastor told his congregation Sunday - “In order to have the peace that passes understanding, we have to give up our right to understand.”
Little Wrai doesn’t understand why or what has happened to him. His life is upside down. But we know that, in time, he will adapt to his new environment and be better off than before.
When we brought him home from the vet, I picked him up to transfer him to the pet carrier. In shirt sleeves. Bad idea. Just note the scars in the picture above. But God has been reminding me through those scars of the many times I’ve fought against his loving care in my life. In time, however, I learned to trust him and his plans for my life.
Despite the turmoil and fears we experience during those times when our worlds are turned upside down, God is our safe place. As we learn to worship him through the doubts, pain, and questions, we come to the place David did, confessing that “The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?” (Ps. 27:1)
In Christ,
Dan
P.S. A couple of things. First, I’m back and looking forward to resuming my Monday-Friday posts. Second, if you are interested in listening to my weekly messages at Embrace Church, here’s the link: Embrace Church, High Point
I don’t recommend listening to them live. The quality seems to be better after they are recorded and posted. My emphasis for these first few weeks has been on living from our hearts, focusing on loving God and others.
Check out my podcasts from Church on the Edge and my books on Kindle.
Love it! 👏 Y'all are doing so great with Wrai, and what a true example of how we react to changes sometimes!..but God knows His plans for us, just as y'all know your plans for Wrai! Fantastic!