Meet Mabel, our cat, who is just about a year old. She came to live with us exactly six months ago. We named her Mabel after Selena Gomez’s character in “Only Murders in the Building,” because she is smart, beautiful and just a little bit damaged.
Our good friends who are veterinarians found Mabel for us. When they first sent us a video of her as a kitten rough-housing with a couple of dogs in her foster home, we fell in love with her. We didn’t even notice until our friend pointed it out that Mabel has only three legs. (She lost her left hind leg in an accident.)
I realize that the photos above show only the recumbent Mabel, but I want to assure you that she is really quite mobile. She’s not the best jumper, and she kind of limps when she walks; but when she runs – and she runs a lot – you can’t tell she’s missing a limb.
I believe God sees each of us the way Robyn and I first saw Mabel in that video. We didn’t see her imperfections, but the confident, playful kitten with a spark in her eyes.
I wonder what God sees when God looks at me. Does God see the playful youth, the confident man? Does God notice that I shuffle when I walk? That I let my appetites get the better of me? That I avoid conflict and put off difficult decisions? That I spend too much time on the couch, and/or looking at screens? The answer, of course, is yes. God sees all of it, and God knows me and loves me; just as God knows and loves each of us. Robyn and I believe that Mabel was meant for us, and we are meant for her, too. We belong to one another. I trust that that’s the way God relates to each of us, and wants us to relate to one another – that we belong to each other.
Blessings and Peace,
Andy