From left to right: Foxy, Stripes, and (the formerly lost) Pussy Cat
Many years ago, when James was very young, he received a stuffed pussy cat as a gift. As we began to prepare for our annual Thanksgiving pilgrimage to Pennsylvania, James decided to gather up his stuffed animals for the trip. There are three that go along with us on most trips – the blue pussy cat, a fox, and Stripes (the beanie baby tiger.) He found Foxy but could not find Pussy Cat — his favorite one or Stripes (Stripes went with us to Southern Wesleyan’s Freshman Orientation last year – he has been around the shortest time. Pussy Cat has been around for most of James’s life. He even went to the operating room when James had an eye operation when he was three. James finally found Stripes in our basement sofa — he went down the hole in the sofa. James was so excited that he celebrated by bringing Stripes to church Sunday. This left Pussy Cat still to be found. Pussy Cat did not end up going on Thanksgiving vacation with us. We knew he was somewhere in our house. Pussy Cat was found as James cleaned his room after Thanksgiving. Before church that morning I asked our kids what story it reminded them of? They couldn’t recall but then I reminded them of the woman who was looking for the coin and when she found she rejoice over it. Luke 15:7-9 7tells us, “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. 8″Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’
The whole world knew that she found the coin just like James told the people who were at church when he got there (we told him to hide Stripe so the kids at church would not pick on him). How many of us today have spent the days looking for someone who is lost and needs Christ? Maybe we need to go and search out the lost.
James wants to know why there was not a picture of pussy cat with the story?