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cats and dogs



Someone sent me an article on Cat and Dog Theology, a book written by Bob Sjogren. It takes off from this joke:

A dog says, "You pet me, you feed me, you love me, you must be God."

A cat says, "You pet me, you feed me, you love me, I must be God."

Basically, dogs are all about the master, and cats are all about themselves. And so it is in much of Western Christianity. We think that God is here to make things easy for us, to get us from birth to death as comfortably and with as many blessings as possible. And this self-centredness is a far cry from Jesus' example of giving his life for others and accepting whatever came from the Father's hand. A blessed and successful life by our standards may very well be quite different from the life of abundance that God promises us if we walk with Him and do what he does.

The word, "master" is not a popular one these days, but very biblical and we should not be ones who neglect the concept.

This is Cassie from Brooklyn chillin' in the back yard on Labour Day.

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Comments

Shelley said…
I agree Matte, but this is such a tricky one, because as a kid I translated stuff like this to mean I was wrong to want what I wanted for myself. Now I think that the issue isn't wanting stuff or heart things like love and acceptance and recognition etc., but what I do with my wants. Asking for them, and trusting Jesus for them is what I should do, and then I can get on with a more others-focused life. If I don't acknowledge what I want, trying to keep that part of me shut up and under control takes all my energy. By trying to be unselfish I become more self-centred. Being real and honest and believing Jesus cares about what I want sets me free...
1:39 PM
Matte Downey said…
I agree, Shelley. It is not about trying to be the right person with the right attitudes, but really looking to Jesus to be enough for everything (all my wants and desires). It is all about who we are looking at.
2:32 PM
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