Baxter begs for food. When I am eating and he picks up an appetizing smell, he will sit at the foot of my chair with longing eyes. If I don’t respond and the aroma is just irresistible for him, he will place his front paws on my leg and reach for my arm, trying to pull it away with a morsel attached to the fork. If I get up from the table, Baxter will be on my chair in a mini-second, cautiously eying the food on the table and hoping I am gone long enough for him to make a move. That’s when he gets my stern, “Don’t!” and he usually backs off. Baxter will do whatever he needs to do to get a share from my meal.
However, the opposite is not the case. Baxter never shares his goodies with me. He never even offers a sample. Although I find his kibble unappetizing, I would think he would at least offer a bite to be polite. No, when his feeder moves for a meal, he is there dominating the dish, leaving no room for anyone else. Baxter knows how to get what he wants, but he isn’t great with giving what he has. Then, after all, he is a cat.
How are we as human beings? Do we think of sharing what we have, or do we only think of preserving it for ourselves or even better, getting more? We need to lookat our generosity quotient. Jesus says, “The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.” If we always think we have less than the other guy or need more of what we do have, we will live like an animal. What marks our human nature is the ability to recognize the other as someone who has a claim on us because we share a common humanity. What marks our Christian character is the ability to recognize the other as made in God’s image and therefore, a brother or sister in the Lord.
We are made to share. We are baptized to share even more deeply. And if we think that we owe no one anything because we worked hard for all that we got, we better think again. No one is self-made. We have all relied upon others for opportunities, for help, for support and a second chance. That’s what makes us more than animals. And when it comes to our view of each other in faith, we are bondedin grace to need each other “to know, love and serve God in this life and to be happy with Him forever in the next.” No one can get to heaven alone. We come there through the prayers, ministries and witness of those who went before us and those who remain behind. There is a communion of saints. In communion is the only way we can be saints.
Baxter, it’s give and take, not just take what you can get. Well, o.k. You are a cat.
