Grasshopper

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 NIV

Growing up we were not really allowed to watch too much television. This was back in the day when you had to have an antenna in the house, which usually had tinfoil on it for reception. If you are too young to remember that, it was quite a sight. Sometimes you had to adjust the whole thing on the fly and if you touched it and the picture went clear, you were not allowed to move. Cable TV came later.

One of the shows that I remember featured a kung foo master traveling around taking care of bad guys. He always remembered back to his lessons in which his teacher called him “grasshopper”. The teacher always had wisdom, to guide the student.

We had an interaction with our grasshopper this weekend. Our son has two cats. They started out as my wife’s cats, but Korbin assumed ownership a long time ago. To most people they are typical cats, finicky. With Korbin, they are all his. He carry’s them around the house like grocery sacks. They will sometimes let other people pet them, but they always let Korbin. One of them waits until Korbin gets out of the shower, then whines around the house until Korbin comes to him. It really does look like they are having a conversation. It happens every morning.

He has a habit of setting them on the counter, a place he knows they are not supposed to be. He will set one on the counter and just stare at me, then he just walks away smirking. I have also seen him lead them to a bug if he sees one. I guess he thinks they will have an instinct to kill it, but it is funny to see him try to hold them up to a wall or ceiling so that a fly will move.

This weekend he was trying to set one of them on a dining room chair. Neither cat was cooperating. He even moved Mary’s purse for some reason. He was calm but determined and it took us two hours to figure out what he wanted. There was a grasshopper on one of the chairs. Once I got it out of the house, he went on to something else. But it went on for a couple of hours before we figured it out. It is funny in hindsight. Korbin ended up looking at us like we had lost it, how could we not have understood him sooner?

It is a good example of how some interactions with him go. He knows what he wants but him using words is rare. He can talk all day. He can be verbal all day, but when the need arises in a specific area sometimes words just do not come. We have to work at it. It can be frustrating, but it can also be very meaningful when we get on the same wavelength.

I think God uses my son in ways that I cannot always understand. But I think He often uses him to let me know how much He is trying to connect with me. I can be verbal all day and say nothing meaningful. I can start and get distracted. Actually, that happens all the time. God can move things for me. I can miss connections. If it has to do with one of our kids, we pay attention. We are willing to wait for the proper path or even a small resolution. When it comes to God, for some reason I get tired while I wait. I assume God’s timing is directly related to the timing of any question I have or situation I am experiencing. I can really want to understand, but sometimes understanding is not God’s currency. Faith is what He wants me to choose.

I saw a quote today by Elizabeth Gilbert “You are afraid to surrender because you don’t want to lose control – but you never had control. All you had was anxiety.” I really need to remember that, both in interactions with my son and my Savior.

Do you find it easy to hear God? I wish there was a predesigned method that worked quickly every time, but I have yet to find it. The intervals of time can bother me, but they do not seem to bother God. Sometimes He sends a member of my family, sometimes a perfect stranger. Have you ever felt that God placed someone in your path?

Have you ever felt like God sent you to someone? He can use all things, including you. I wonder how many times I have flat missed recognizing it. Fortunately, He can use me anyway.

Challenge: Go through your day being prayerfully open to God working in either direction. The Master has wisdom grasshopper.

Rick Claiborn