“Cats have it all – admiration, an endless sleep, and company only when they want it.” Rod McKuen
 

“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.”

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Do you have it all? Do you feel as if your life is completely fulfilled? Is there something missing in your life? If the answers to those questions is “no, no and yes” then you need to get a cat. Cats, after all, have it all – so if you get a cat then you will also have it all.

Of course I am being completely ridiculous. Cats are great, but they do not bring a person complete fulfillment. Our complete fulfillment will come when we die in the Lord, as the scripture tells us: “If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.” (Romans 14:8) As such our future is already secured for us through the cross of Jesus – which compels us to live for the Lord, out of thanksgiving for the Grace of G-d.

And yet there can be fulfillment in this life right now – but it is not a fulfillment that the world seeks – one of wealth, power, commodities, and influence. If that is all this life is about, we might as well just sleep our lives away – because that kind of life is like being asleep: it may pass the time, but there won’t be much to remember. Of course, that is just my opinion. But the times I remember most in my life are not the times I purchased that great couch, or bought that brand new car. The times I remember most are the ones where I was able to sit with a relative or even a stranger as they were dying – to be invited into one of the most intimate moments of a person’s life. I remember the moments where my wife and I were able to help a friend who was having financial troubles – or do some counseling for parents whose child was experiencing problems with drug addiction. This my friends is what living for the Lord is all about. You may think it is not much of a life – I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Pastor Dave