Don Fredenburg
Jim Tucker
H.E. 'Hub' Bowen
Mike Coble
Ron Bowen2/2/2018
Ephesians 4:26-27 26 "In your anger do not sin"
My husband and I enjoyed watching a mother dove with her clutch of eggs. It didn't take long for one tiny, downy head to emerged over the nest. Daily we'd walk outside to watch, "our baby". The neighbors had a black cat who was watching too. One morning, my husband walked outside, turned around and slammed the front door. "What's wrong? I asked. "That black cat ate the baby!" Upset I asked, "What did you do?" "I picked up the beak and legs and threw them at the neighbor's door, that's all that was left!" This behavior was completely out of character for my mild mannered husband.
We named the cat, Evil Black Cat. We were determined to catch it and take it to the pound. We were so angry we didn't think about any consequences. We surely didn't think about our neighbors. After all, it was their cat that killed our baby bird.
My husband brought home a cat-trap. I felt a little guilty, then I'd think about what remained of our baby bird - feathers, a beak and two tiny legs. Evil Black Cat had to go. For over a week, my husband would bait the trap with no success. This cat was like Houdini. It would crawl inside the trap, take the bait and disappear.
I was babysitting my 2-year-old granddaughter who started
saying, "Kitty". I listened and heard a faint "meow". I walked down the hall to
the garage and opened the door. I expecting to see a kitten, nope, it was Evil
Black Cat. I called my husband and told
him, "We caught the cat, when you get home I'll have the door to the car
opened, you slowly open the garage, catch the cat and throw it inside the car".
Smart idea, huh?
When my husband got home, we proceeded to enact our plan. I
opened the car door, he opened the garage. We expected Evil Black Cat to be aggressive,
ready to use its teeth and claws. What we saw was a black, docile cat. I was
still angry and picked up the "Evil Black Cat" and put it the backseat. I got in the
front seat and turned on the ignition. There was a farmhouse not far away, not
as cruel as the pound. Right? That's a good place for a cat. Right? Again, we
didn't stop to think about our neighbors and that this cat was their pet.
When you're mad, your thinking isn't always rational. Right? I pulled out of our driveway and headed towards the farmhouse which was on a backroad. I didn't consider the time of day and how heavy the traffic would be. Large oilfield trucks were coming towards me; to make matters worse, Evil Black Cat was no longer docile. It was sitting on top of the backseat, screaming and yowling. When I looked in the rearview mirror, to my horror I saw one very angry cat with its mouth wide open, showing me some very sharp teeth. I was now gripping the steering wheel with white knuckles and praying out loud, "Dear God, please help me not to wreck the car". I continued to watch huge oilfield trucks coming towards me while envisioning Evil Black Cat jumping over the front seat and sinking its teeth into my neck. I was a nervous wreck. My body was rigid with fear. I knew Evil Black Cat was going to attack. I continued to drive, there was no place to turn around.
Large trucks are still rushing past when I felt hot breath on my neck. I braced myself for the first painful bite. Instead I feel paws on my shoulder and hear a purr. Evil Black Cat crawls over my shoulder and sits in my lap while I drive.
Feeling horrible guilt and with Black Cat sitting in my lap, I turned around and drove home. Black Cat purred while I talked to it and rubbed its silky fur.
I acted like a fool! Because of my anger, my actions were reckless, foolish, selfish and sinful. I had not only put myself in danger but all of the other drivers. I didn't consider the sadness when our neighbors realized their cat was "missing".
Black Cat wasn't evil, it was only doing what cats do, hunt for food. Right?
Debbie Cook
Oildale Church of Christ
