Bathroom habits aren’t usually talked about in polite and public company, but Baxter has a most unusual practice when it comes to his personal hygiene. First, however, I do have to commend him for his flawless record with the litter box. But that said, he does have a very peculiar habit as part of his bathroom routine. Baxter has the typical cat characteristics. He is finicky about his toilet. It has to be kept clean. He does the usual pawing and digging to find the right spot. But the quirk comes into play after he has taken care of his needs. He jumps out of the litter box, and he runs at full speed into another room. There he begins to meow in an extended cadence, more like a common dog’s howl than a sophisticated cat’s cry. After a few seconds it’s all over, and he is back to his usual daily activities—eating, sleeping and looking out the window.
This funny escape from his own mess almost seems like Baxter’s way of disowning it. When he takes up his call in another room away from the litter box, it is as if to say, “Who did that? That’s not mine. Someone else must have left behind that mess to clean.” He runs away, pretending that no one will know who did it and forgetting it ever happened.
While our bathroom habits aren’t the same as a cat’s, our ways of dealing with the messes we create in the course of our lives may closely resemble Baxter’s bathroom quirk. Instead of doing what is needed to leave a clean slate, we run away from the messes and pretend that they didn’t happen or that someone else is to blame for them. These can be a range of problems. Maybe we have squandered our money, and now we can’t meet our monthly bills. Maybe we have neglected our spouse or children for other interests—work, recreational activities, volunteer commitments, etc. Maybe we find ourselves caught in an addition to alcohol, drugs, gambling, sexual fantasies or sexual encounters. Whatever is the mess we might be in, we need to face it, figure out its causes, and do something to remove it from our lives. It won’t go away on its own or by waiting for someone else to solve it. We will just keep making more messes until we take charge of them ourselves.
Jesus never let people off the hook. He forgave them much and often, but He never told them not to worry about the consequences and effects of their sin. He held them responsible for changing the circumstances that led them into their mess. “Sin no more,” He tells the woman caught in adultery after the crowd departs. “Give her something to eat,” He instructs the parents of the little girl he raises to life. “Unseal the tomb,” He directs Martha and Mary so that their brother can walk free of death. “Show yourselves to the priests,” He orders the cured leper. In all these circumstances, Jesus asks people to cooperate with the power of God’s grace by taking responsibility for what they can do to improve their lives. Miracles aren’t magic. They are disclosures of how God is at work to save us, but we have to do our part to make the effects of grace sincere and lasting.
Baxter is a cat, so he’s off the hook for his quirky habit of running away from his own mess. We are children of God, so there is no excuse for us to help ourselves to better our lives. God will be there. He promised. Are we willing to take responsibility to work with Him when we see a mess that needs cleaned?
