OF INCENSE AND CAT SPRAY

This is Fraidy. We first met around 1999. He had obviously been mistreated by someone as no one could get near him. Some of the neighbours used to leave food out for him and he would timidly creep around at night eating what he could find. Then, one day as I was hanging out the washing, he stood some distance off and spoke to me. He said "I'm lonely, but I am also very afraid." Yeah, I know cats don't really speak, but nevertheless, that's what he was saying. So I stopped what I was doing and sat down on the doorstep and spoke softly to him for quite some time before he plucked up the courage to come over to me. Even then, the slightest movement would send him running for cover. He really was a fraidy cat, hence the name.

Adopted

It took about a month for Fraidy to pluck up the courage to actually spend some time with me and let me pet him. As courage grew he ventured inside and even sat on the couch. Not too long after that he adopted me and I became his human. He was still very much a fraidy cat though and if anyone came to the door he disappeared very quickly.

Today he is the devoted follower of anyone who will give him attention and will sit on any lap that's available, but mostly prefers mine.

Freaked out

When Fraidy first moved in with me I very quickly discovered that he had to have an escape route. If he was unable to see a way out he would run frantically around the room, eyes wide, belly low to the ground and very nervous. I got into the habit of leaving the window open and he was happy.

Unwelcome visitors

Of course, leaving the window open was an open invitation for other cats to come in as well. I only saw a couple of other cats come in and it was hard to discourage them without upsetting Fraidy.

The stench

It had to happen, one morning I woke to the stench of cat spray in the flat. I don't know if Fraidy was responsible for that, or if it was one of the other cats, but I do know that the flat stunk for days! It was such an offensive smell that I couldn't stand being in the place. The window got shut for a few nights and Fraidy was limited to daytime visits. In the daytime of course every window and door was wide open to try and get the stench out of the place.

Incense

Incense is first mentioned in the Bible in Exodus 25:6 and was used to bring a sweet fragrance into the Tabernacle of God. They even had an altar to burn the incense on and burning the incense was part of the worship to God, which was done every morning and it would continue to burn throughout the day. The incense had to be exactly according to God's recipe and no strange incense was allowed to be burned at the altar.

The burning of incense was used repeatedly throughout Biblical history to make ammends for wrong doing and often turned God's hand of judgement aside.

Of incense and cat spray

The offensive smell of cat spray is like the sin that we all too readily engage in. It is an offensive smell to God and causes Him to turn aside from us. The effect often lasts days.

On the other hand, the prayers of the saints arise as incense to the Lord Rev 5:8 And when He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one having harps and golden vials full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

Therefore, let us be careful not to cause offense to God, becoming as a stench to Him because of our sin, but let our relationship with Him, and our conversation with Him, be as a sweet smelling fragrance that brings delight to His heart.

Remember that no-one has ever loved us more than God, and the greater the love, the more easily one is hurt. But it is also important to know that the greater the love, the greater joy there is in a right relationship.

It's our choice. We can be as incense or cat spray to the Darling of our lives.