Faith-bearing Seed for the Soul
"The sower soweth the Word."

Mark 4:14

My Dad Hated Cats...

    With twitching chocolate tipped ears, darker brown paws and tail, and eyes as bright blue as a spring sky in Texas, an otherwise tan Himalayan cat waltzed up our driveway and into our family's life.  We named the stray Nelson C. (Cat). 

When the Lord told us to give away what we owned to take the Gospel into the harvest field, we began looking
for a good home for Nelson C.  He had been a member of our family for many years by then, and parting with him was going to be painful.  Who would ever appreciate him and treat him like we did?

Several weeks before purchasing a travel trailer, we stayed with my parents in Phoenix.  We had not yet found a
suitable home for Nelson C. This presented a problem because my dad HATED cats.  During those two weeks he took every opportunity to mistreat our beloved cat.  But one night that all changed!

Our bedroom door, nearest to the fire place, was shut so we didn't smell the smoldering embers of the burning
log that had rolled out on to the floor and caught the rug ablaze.  The only one that knew the house was on fire was
Nelson C.  Knowing that he might get hit in the head with a shoe or thrown across the room, he still took the risk of
trying to wake up my dad. He kept perching himself on the headboard of the bed and jumped on to my dad's chest until he woke him up. 

If it had not been for Nelson C., it is likely that my parent's sprawling wood frame ranch would have quickly
been engulfed in flames, and we all could have lost our lives.  But because of a hated cat's brave perseverance, we were all awakened and the fire was extinguished, leaving damage in the living room only.

Jesus told us that as the time of His return draws near, because we love Him and because we are dedicated followers of Him, we will be persecuted and hated.

Matthew 24:9-12 New Living Translation
"Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because of your
allegiance to Me.  And many will turn away from Me and betray and hate each other.  And many false prophets
will appear and will lead many people astray.  Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow
cold."

There was no reason for my dad to hate Nelson C. personally...he just hated all cats in general.  There will
be people who hate you, especially in these end times. Their hatred will not be personal, but they will hate you
just because you are a follower of Jesus Christ. 

Nelson C. exemplified dedication and love for us through his actions.  In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, Jesus told us to love those who hate us and to pray for those who persecute us.  In doing so, we will have endured and will be saved.  And not only will we be saved, but the Gospel will be preached throughout the world and many others will come to know Him as Lord and Savior. (Matt. 24:13-14)  The Gospel is not words alone, but it is His love which we spread abroad.

Before we left my parent's home, it was a great relief to know that we had finally found a good home for our cat....
with my parents.   And it was so awesome to see my transformed dad open a can of "Fancy Feast" for his favorite cat, Nelson C., and to see the cat curled up next to him in the recliner!  Yes, love never fails, and it does change things...especially people.  

Rooted and grounded in the love of Christ Jesus,

Marlene JuHaros,
TexasSower@prayervine.org

a.k.a. PrayerVine

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Eccl. 11:6

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