The Bjorn Chronicles#2: Permanent identity

I am sitting at the counter in my kitchen, preparing myself for a delicious bowl of food. I have a combination of potatoes, peppers, and sausage that I affectionately refer to as “meal.” As I open my eyes from my usual mealtime prayer, I see that familiar orange shape. It’s strange how I can know with 100% certainty what he intends to do sometimes. Maybe it’s his posture, though he’s just sitting there as he often does. Maybe it’s the look on his face, even though I can only see part of it from the side. Maybe it's all of the above put together. Either way, I see Bjorn eyeballing the countertop, and I know he’s about to make the jump.

“Don’t do it!” I shout, knowing my words are falling on deaf ears. Sure enough, in the blink of an eye, Bjorn is up on the corner, and in the blink of another eye he is back down, all before I have a chance to prove that my shouts meant something. I laugh as the whole encounter registers in my brain. Then it hits me: I’ll always love this cat, no matter how much of a menace he can be at times. 

Here’s the point I want to make: no matter how much he disobeys me, how badly he annoys me, he’s still the loveable feline I picked up from the pet store many years ago. Like I mentioned in my last episode of “the Bjorn chronicles,” (which, if you haven’t read, it’s actually titled “of cats and men.” It’s worth checking out) there’s very little damage that my cat can do that I can’t undo. There are very few scenarios that would do any serious harm. The only times I’m really annoyed with him are just me being petty. As such, there’s no reason for me to have anything but love for him. Sure, it makes me sad when he doesn’t want to curl up next to me in the evening for a good book, or ambush me in bed to kiss me goodnight (yes, it happens and it never gets old.) But these things only make me sad because I love him, because I want to spend time with him. If I don’t get what I want from him, my life is not in ruins. After all, I don’t need him for anything, but I love having him around. 

This got me thinking “could this be how God sees us?” Given He is a being of infinite power, He probably doesn’t need us for anything. The old testament stories prove He has more than enough power to accomplish anything He wants, from flooding the earth to burning soggy wood, He is capable of doing it all. And yet, He wants to get us involved. He cherishes the act of accomplishing the same amounts through us because that means interacting with us goofballs. The process might be messy, far messier than if God just did things Himself, but He gets something far more valuable in return: our interaction. We get to spend time with the God who loves us, cares for us, and was willing to suffer and die for us. Let that sink in a second. Would you pick the more efficient way to do things if you had the option? Am I the only type-A person in the room screaming “yes?” But apparently our attention, our interaction, our affection is worth that much to God. How crazy is that? I know it may not seem like it’s that important to us, but what do we know about getting it right? The more time passes, the more I realize we aren’t all that wise. But that doesn’t matter to God. He keeps loving us all the same. 

That’s the other thing I realized in that moment: all those times I screwed up, did the wrong thing, or could have done more, God never thought any less of me. Sure, He wishes I didn't make certain choices sometimes, but it doesn’t mean He thinks less of me. What Jesus did on the cross changed how God He sees me. His act of selfless love made it so that God sees me as I see Bjorn: as a loveable goofball doing his darndest to spend time with his papa. No longer am I the filth that can’t perfectly follow the rules, or do enough to please the master. I have been made loveable when I was once a stray, all because God thought that would be a good idea to make it so. Even when I knock over the glass for the thousandth time (why do cats feel the need to do that?!?) or go where God has reminded me I shouldn’t, He doesn’t hate me. No, He laughs, He cries, He tries to set up guardrails to help me do better, but He never thinks any less of me. And guess what? He never thinks any less of you either. He just wants to be near you and to see you flourish in His loving care. 

I hope this thought encourages you in some way. Not to give you an excuse to keep on doing wrong, but to have grace for yourself when screw ups inevitably happen. Know that He still cares for you, and that He forgives you. No matter how bad the damage is, know He is always right there waiting to help you clean up the mess and try again. And, above all else, I hope this encourages you to get a cat of your own. They’re quite the blessing to have in your home. 

Until next time

Cheers