The last time I went for a medical check-up, the nurse asked me some new questions. They covered the “tripping hazard inventory” that is part of a “senior” medical review these days. They asked if I had area rugs in my home, if there were a bath tub or walk-in shower, and if I had a pet, specifically a cat or a dog. Of course, I said I had a cat. That was a negative point for my overall evaluation.
You see, having Baxter increases my odds of tripping over him. I can understand the reasoning here. Baxter does get under foot sometimes, especially if he wants to eat something I am preparing in the kitchen. He also has this habit of plopping in a prone position wherever he wants to land, and that is usually in the way--in the middle of a hallway, a room, a doorway or my lap. These behaviors make Baxter a tripping hazard for me. He lowered my home safety score. I wonder if he will be the reason for my early admission to a convalescent facility!
Well, I’ll chance it. Because what I may lose in physical safety from living with a pet, I gain ten-fold in soulful security with his companionship. Baxter fills an empty house when I come home at night. He sits and listens when I have had a hard day. He forces me to think of someone other than myself when he needs fed and watered, a clean bathroom and a few comforting strokes. His mysterious looks, strange sounds, and delights in sunshine and fresh air remind me to pay attention to what is going on in others’ lives around me and appreciate that we are on this life journey together. Baxter is my live-in angel.
Angels are divine messengers. They arise in the scriptures whenever God is about to do something important for people. Gabriel announces the conception of Jesus. Michael battles Satan and the forces of evil. Angels were at the tomb to tell Mary and the other women that He is Risen. And angels bid the disciples at the Lord’s ascension to trust that He will return. Angels mark the movements of God among human beings throughout the course of history. Sometimes they reveal dramatic actions changing the human condition completely. Sometimes the angels are hidden within the ordinary affairs of daily life, reminding us that God is with us and calling us to deeper faith and discipleship.
Whoever or whatever calls us out of our too comfortable, narcissistic and selfish worlds to be aware of, empathetic towards and of service to others in their need is an angel for us. Sometimes they may trip us to get our attention. But don’t be afraid, as we hear so often in this Easter season. When we are tripped by a true angel, we break only unnecessary parts, baggage that should be left behind. Then we can get up and be about the business of God’s work inour world. Jesus flunked the tripping test too on the way to Calvary, but He sure did show those who thought themselves hardy and healthy how to rise stronger and whole. When God is under foot, we all walk taller.
