DEVOTION: Don't Be A Silly Cat ~ by Karen Rees

Scripture reference: Col 3:12-14

My husband and I had great fun trimming our first Christmas tree with decorations as new and bright as our young marriage. Once finished, we stood with arms around each other admiring the tree that sat in the corner of our living room while our gray cat rubbed against our ankles.

Kitty-cat also liked our tree. She especially enjoyed batting the fragile glass balls that hung from the bottom branches and watching them swing.

After being scolded several times for playing with the ones in the front, she went around behind and batted the balls hanging there. She seemed to reason that if she were in the back, we wouldn't see her disobedience. Silly cat.

At times we find ourselves acting like Kitty-cat. In scripture, God tells us some “glass balls” to leave alone. But playing with them is so much fun.

Gossip is one of the colorful balls we find nearly irresistible. Learning all the intimate details about someone can be so satisfying. It's nearly as satisfying as the thrill of passing the information on.

Another glowing ball is irresponsible spending. We see so many desirable things to buy. We tell ourselves it doesn't matter that we don't actually need the item, that we're already in debt or we're spending money we should be giving to God.

A third forbidden glass ball is pretending to be better than we are. We dismiss our “little” faults while looking down on others when they exhibit similar failings.

The most tempting ball of all is the one the color of immediate happiness. We reason that God wants us to be happy right now! Therefore, whatever gives us happiness NOW must be God's will for us.

Since these “pretty balls” do bring us pleasure, why does God spoil our fun by forbidding them? 

A little bit of gossip may seem harmless, but we all know of people who have had good reputations destroyed by little bits of gossip that spread.

God blesses us with money and tells us how to use it to bless others. When we ignore him and impulsively spend more and more on ourselves, we're planting seeds of selfishness and are hurting our relationship with God.

Refusing to admit our own failings not only makes us a poor example for those we love but it will ultimately separate us from God Himself.

Yes, God wants us to be happy. That's why he's prepared heaven for us and why he gave us commands for living. He knows that obedience protects us from danger and brings greater long-term happiness. Any other way of finding happiness is no more lasting than a fragile Christmas decoration.

God sees us even at the back of the tree. So leave the balls alone, dear silly cat.

KAREN REES, with her second-generation missionary husband Benjamin, has served in Hong Kong since 1975. Besides her involvement in the mission work, Karen loves history, quilting and writing. They have two children, Matthew and Megan, and two grand-children, Hadessah and Arthur Aaron.

Her historical fiction novel, The Ruby Ring, was a Finalist Award in the 2014 National Indie Excellence Awards in the Religious Fiction category. It can be purchased in paperback or eBook from Amazon.com and other online bookstores.

Visit Karen on her author page on Facebook. Watch her book trailer, The Ruby Ring Trailer.