He Doesn't Talk Back

I often thank God that Baxter can’t speak a human language. Although he is very good at catspeak, few outside his species can decipher its meaning. I have learned after years of paying close attention how to interpret different sounds that he makes, but these are limited to his own desires and moods, and they don’t refer to anyone else in his world. Baxter speaks for and about himself, but he is mum when it comes to talking about others. However, this would not be for lack of material.

Baxter sees me at my worst and my best, but he doesn't tell a soul what those extremes look like in me. Certain sporting events are particularly telling in this regard. When my favorite team is performing at top proficiency and makes a spectacular play, Baxter witnesses my crazy antics and shouts for joy. He takes it all in stride, figuring I will get over it soon. The same holds true for when the game turns sour. Although the tone gets harsh, Baxter takes it, simply turning away to a favorite spot until the resident maniac calms down.

God sees the best and the worst in us as well. When we are at the top of our game, God rejoices with us and cheers us on. When we are in the doldrums of life, feeling defeated, lost and upset, God is there to share our pain. He often can’t do anything about it, and that might provoke anger from us. But God simply takes it. We expect God to perform for us, to keep bad things from happening to us, or when they do, to make it all better again. When this doesn't happen, we can go crazy, and God can become the object of our irrational and uncontrolled frustration and irritation. We lash out at the divine goodness, wondering what good He is. Afterwards, we may regret our words and actions, but the cat is out of the bag and what can we do about it.

We can give thanks to God for being God and not the petty, self-centered, volatile egos we often disclose about ourselves. We can thank God for not talking back when we aren't ready to listen. We can thank God for listening and caring about our predicaments because He cares about us. We can thank God for not talking about us but revealing Himself to us when the time is right for us. God-speak also takes time to understand, but when we get it, it has many layers of meaning for us to unfold. Thank God we have a life-time to figure it out.

You see, while we are rooting for all our favorite teams, God is rooting for us, staying with us, and watching us with care through the good times and bad. Best of all, in His kindness, God doesn't tell anyone about our crazy outbursts.