I just drove down to the post office to mail an old, worn-out pair of shoelaces to a cat! It had to be one of the weirdest packages I’ve ever sent. But Dexter, who is my “grand-cat,” was lost without those shoelaces and overjoyed to have them back. Before you think I’ve gone off the deep end, here’s the story.
I’ve written about Dexter before—how he was a homeless, rescue cat that no one wanted. My daughter and her husband gave him a temporary foster home and “tamed” him to help their overcrowded, local animal shelter. When a permanent home was found and Dexter was suddenly snatched from our lives, we all realized how very much we’d grown to love him and his quirky personality. Dexter must have missed us too, because a week later, his new owners returned him to the shelter, saying things weren’t working out. My daughter and son-in-law welcomed him back, permanently adopting him into their home.
The old, tattered, half-unraveled shoelaces in this story came from my son-in-law’s hiking boots. He threw the laces into the garbage after replacing them with a new pair. Dexter retrieved them from the trash and made them his new favorite toy. Tied together, they make one long string that he entertains himself with for hours. He holds one end of the lace in his mouth and runs in circles around a chair or under the dining room table, wildly chasing the other end. Sometimes the shoelace gets so entangled in the chair rungs that his creation resembles a spider’s web. Unconcerned, he leaves it there when he’s finished playing. He has figured out how to unravel it again when he’s ready to renew the chase.
I kitty-sat for Dexter and his cat-brother, Leonidas, when my daughter and her husband went on vacation two weeks ago. Dexter had a grand time chasing his shoelace all over my house while he was here and winding it around my dining room chairs. And I have to admit that I enjoyed my morning snuggles with him when he would climb onto my lap to be hugged and petted, purring like a chainsaw, shedding white fur everywhere. But when we drove the cats back to Chicago, we accidentally left the shoelace behind. No other cord or string or shoelace could take the place of the worn-out, fraying one Dexter had grown to love. So I mailed it back to him. He retrieved it from the envelope himself.
Now, I’m normally not one of those people who give human emotions to animals. But I can’t deny that Dexter’s shoelace makes him happy. And his story moves me because it’s such a perfect picture of redemption. My daughter and son-in-law took a wild, bedraggled cat into their home and redeemed him through their love and patience. He’s not the same animal that first arrived at the shelter. And Dexter’s “love” for a worn-out, discarded shoelace transformed it into a toy that was worthy of first-class postage.
God redeems us because He is somehow able to look past our rough exterior and see a beloved child in need of grace. And the love He extends to us through His Son Jesus has the power to transform us and change our lives. Every time I look at Dexter and his shoelace I have to wonder how often I’ve turned away from difficult, unlovable people, judging them unredeemable, unworthy of my time or compassion or love. And I wonder what miracles might take place if I learned to see people the way this once-unlovable cat saw a piece of trash. Or the way our Heavenly Father sees me.
“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103: 13-14).
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Love this story, Lynn! Thanks for sharing.
I can’t get enough of the Dexter stories, Lynn! So sweet. Love and patience and second chances make all the difference.
Love the application, Lynn. We all need those reminders to look past the surface, to see people as Jesus sees them.
Beautiful story and application. Thank you.
Such a touching story. I think those worn-out laces were definitely worth the postage. My mom would have done it for my fur-baby. Thanks for sharing…put a smile on my face.
Cats are so enjoyable. We have 2. A calico Miss Cali , and a Maine Coin , Mr HoBo. They provide many hours of fun and love. Both are lap cats. I often have 2 cats in my lap. If I give Mr. HoBo a new ball he will walk around the house carrying it wherever he goes until it rolls under something. It’s so fun to watch them at play. They have real quarrels with one another just like kids do. I often say if you have a cat in the house it’s like having kids.
Love this story! My husband and I adore cats, but we can’t have them as he’s allergic, so stories like this warm my heart. Your application is great. Our Father loves us just as we are–torn, tattered or whatever!
Thanks for bringing a smile to my face today. 🙂
Darlene
Thanks Lynn.
It’s hard to remember that our God sees the big picture and recognizes the “final product”.
I loved your story and pray it reminds me to try to see people as God sees them.
Love your story, Lynn! Even though I’m sooooo a dog person. : )
Thank you for the reminder of God’s compassionate love! I love the way you write Lynn. Even without pictures, I can easily imagine what you are describing.