A Lesson on Play from Lady Jane (2)

 

 

Watching Lady Jane’s transition from being an outdoor cat to an indoor cat is fascinating. For example, she eats differently now than she did outside.

 

When she was outside, Lady Jane was consistently looking around when she ate. She’d eat a few bites and look around, eat a few more bites and look around, always aware of her surroundings. After all, she was responsible for finding her own food day after day, meal after meal, nothing was predictable – other than uncertainty. Outdoor cats need to be aware of their surroundings, they need to protect themselves, and since their next meal isn’t promised they need to protect their food. Elsewhere I’ve written about Socks, who was a threat to Lady Jane’s food.

 

While still outside, as Lady Jane became comfortable with us, she relaxed somewhat in her eating, if we were on the deck she didn’t check her surroundings as frequently though she never complexly let down her guard. After we brought her indoors permanently and she realized that she was safe, it wasn’t long before she stopped eating a few bites and looking around, eating a few bites and looking around.

 

During the weeks after coming inside to live with us, Lady Jane slept beneath a bed or a table. Now she sleeps in the open for she has nothing to fear, she is in a safe place and she is protected by us.

 

One of the first things we did after bringing her inside was to buy our cat some toys, including some stuffed mice and a wand to which toys are attached, such as feathers. While I could induce Lady Jane to play with me using the wand and feather, she had no interest in the mice. For the first few weeks Lady Jane would play with me and the wand, but she ignored the toys, such a “mouse,” that she could play with by herself.

 

Then, about three weeks ago, a change happened with Lady Jane; she began playing with “mouse,” batting it here and there, throwing it around, rolling with it in her paws, it was so sweet to see her playing. Lady Jane had learned to play! Lady Jane was feeling secure, she was safe, and she could play…she had nothing to fear.

 

Playing with mouse is now part of Lady Jane’s life and she gives us such joy as we watch her, yesterday she spent all day playing. Lady Jane now knows rest, love, security, and the joy of play. (Yes, yes, I realize some might say I’m overdoing it, that she is a cat. But she is our cat and we are her people – and since Vickie and I are children of our Father, we will rejoice in God’s gift of Lady Jane as life comes naturally to us.)

 

When we are safe we can play, when we aren’t safe, even when we try to play, we’ve got to be careful, we can’t really let go and play. When we are secure we can play, when we aren’t secure our play is constrained and cautious.

 

Paul writes that we are to rejoice in the Lord always, he is emphatic about this (Philippians 4:4), “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!”

 

Jesus wants our joy to be full, in fact, He wants His very joy to be poured into us and us to be filled with it – imagine, the joy of Jesus overflowing within us (John 15:11; 17:13).

 

When we know rest in Christ, we stop living by our works, our own wisdom, our own agenda…and we can play…and ever better, we can invite others to play! (Psalm 127:1; John 15:1 – 5; Hebrews 4:9 – 10). 

We don’t need to be outdoor Christians any longer, we can live securely in our Father’s House. We can stop sleeping and hiding under religious furniture, we can stop hiding the way the world hides, we need no longer look this way and that as we dine at our Father’s Table…we can enjoy our meals (especially with one another).

 

“Cease striving [relax, let go] and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

 

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28 – 29, The Message, Peterson).

 

Are we outdoor or indoor Christians?