Troy and I were suddenly startled by a bang, bang, bang on the door. After our hearts settled down, we looked at each other and said, “Tigger!” almost simultaneously. Tigger is our neighbor’s cat, but what he wants more than anything in the world is to be our house cat. It has been his main goal ever since I said, “Hello Tigger.” He is very persistent!
When we go outside, he makes walking difficult. He crosses between our legs and sits on our feet, trying to stop us so that we will pay attention to him. Even when we linger to pet him or pick him up and give him a hug, it is never enough.
During sub-freezing weather, we felt sorry for him and let him in our garage to sleep in one of Miss Kitty’s old beds. He loved that; it was a step closer to our enough.
Every time we open a door he attempts to get in. This is an inconvenient process we go through many times a day. When he manages to get inside, there are three dogs and two cats who do not believe he belongs with them. All those hostile muzzles pointed in his direction don’t faze him. If one of them comes forward to confront him, he takes a swat at him. He swaggers around like he owns the place, but we hustle him back out before mayhem erupts.
The kids next door keep carrying him back to their house, but he comes right back here the minute they put him down. He is one of several cats there, and they are strictly outdoor cats. He is not content with that lot in life, and strongly wishes to choose his own lifestyle.
We are impressed by his diligence and determination. He works at his goal full time and never swerves from his resolution.
He makes me ponder the quality of persistence and how we should be as tenacious about desiring to be in our Father’s house, His kingdom, as Tigger is to be in ours. We are told in the parable of the persistent widow that perseverance got the desired result and that we can get our Father’s attention by continuous asking. There is also the friend at midnight who keeps knocking at the door until the householder gets up and complies with his request for bread. Again we are told to persist. Persistence channeled in the proper direction is a very desirable trait. At our house, we are learning a lot about persistence from a gray and white tabby cat.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One