The empty places
Years ago we had a cat, our first indoor pet ever. Being a farm girl we had lots of outdoor cats, but Cocoa had the special privilege of living inside with us. He most definitely believed he was deserving of special treatment, the male version of a diva.
I couldn’t find a picture of Cocoa, but he looked much like this one from Pixabay except our Cocoa was more fluffy with greener eyes.
Cocoa took his inside privileges seriously. Typically, as cats are, he wanted attention when he wanted attention and solitude when he wanted solitude. He was not known for being very patient or loving. Cocoa was an egocentric (self-centered) kitty.
One habit he quickly acquired was to request that his food bowl be kept full. If a bare spot appeared in the bottom of his bowl, he cried, grumbled, and wrapped himself around our feet in an attempt to get his human servants to cover up the bare spot with additional food.
Cocoa focused on the empty place rather than the food still in his bowl. He saw the negative instead of the blessing.
Perhaps like many of you, due to Covid-19 restrictions, I watched and listened to a sermon on television this Sunday morning. Joel Osteen mentioned in his message that it is typical for bad news to spread more rapidly than good news. We know that don’t we? If we turn on the news, we most often see coverage of tragedies, crimes, or political intrigue with perhaps (if we’re lucky) one positive or happy story at the end of the segment.
And, most certainly, that harmful bad news that spreads like wildfire–gossip–has no difficulty being embellished and sent rapidly through our social network, leaving a legacy of pain in its wake.
Is it just human nature to look at the dark side (the empty spot) instead of the bright side–our many blessings?
I welcome discussion on the premise I am proposing…
Is it possible that humans tend to look on the dark side of situations because they have lost their faith and hope?
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1
Cocoa, the cat, didn’t have faith or confidence in us that we wouldn’t forget to fill his bowl. He didn’t trust us to take care of him. He doubted.
Isn’t that what we sometimes do with our Lord?
Yet we are told…
Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
Jesus promised never to leave us alone…
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever–the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him or knows him. But you know him, for he lives in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. John 14:16-18
Jesus fills our empty places, the bare spots of our fears. He covers us with His love. We can trust Him to keep His promises.
From Jesus, we receive the gifts of faith and hope.
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. Ephesians 1:18-21
we love you Winky, and hope you are well. thank you for all you are and are doing.
We love you, too, dear girl. Thanks for your wisdom and encouragement in this time of trial.
Katherine, how easy it is to focus on the negative. What a fun way to point that out and remind us of our Father’s care.
Thank you, Debbie, for your encouragement. Aren’t we blessed that our Father’s care is always there? He is faithful even when we falter.
Sweet Katherine; The take away I got from your post is that we humans just can’t help ourselves from trying to help EVEN God. Yes, we know He knows all, but IF we can just step in and offer a little of our help, things will get done a lot sooner. We are irrational, impatient and probably downright rude. “Lord if You didn’t get it done yesterday, that’s OK, but, uh, how about if….”. Deep down we know He won’t always give us what we want, but we ask anyway, just as petulant children do, we still try. God’s blessings my friend.
Oh, my, Diane. As I read your post I thought, “Goodness, gracious, she is describing me!” I definitely was convicted even though I know you didn’t mean to single me out, because you said, “we”. But, I admit that I fit the character–always thinking I know what God should do to fix all the problems that come my way. Thank you for recognizing that many of us need to learn to wait and trust our Lord. Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers.
Wonderful post Ms. Katherine. I couldn’t help but wonder if our pessimistic attitudes develop because we’ve spent more time in the world than we have in the Word. I know if my life, when I move even a little farther from God in my life than I need to be, I can sense the foreboding darkness begin to envelop my thoughts and emotions. I also couldn’t help but think how much like your Cocoa I am. While I’m less worried about seeing the bottom of my bowl, knowing that I have a full pantry and freezer sure does bring comfort. God’s blessings to you and “Farmer Bob” ma’am.
I agree, J.D. I know that I am less anxious and more in line with God’s plan for me when I am daily in His Word. It’s unfortunate that sometimes, when trials come and we are stressed, one of the first things that suffer is our quiet time with our Lord–reading scripture, meditating on His Word, and prayer. Like you, I’m happy to be comfortable. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.
I’m not sure if we look on the dark side of things because we’ve lost our faith and hope or because we get caught up in the doom and gloom of the world because we’re listening to the wrong message. When that happens, we have to reset our focus. And then repeat daily.
Yes, your point is well taken. When we sink into doom and gloom, I think part of the cause is the faltering of our faith. Then, when the devil gets a foothold, our faith is further tested and more doom and gloom results. It’s a vicious cycle. But, praise God, you have the solution–put our focus on God, stay in His Word, and maintain our prayer connection with our Lord.
Thanks for reminding us that God doesn’t withhold good things from His children. He provides and cares for His own, and makes a way through the dark times.
We are so blessed that His Light is always with us. He lights the dark path and supports us through the trials. Our Lord is faithful and trustworthy. Thank you for your words of hope and praise, Joanna.