The Power Of Love

My son, Daniel, has loved cats since the time he was a young boy. The cat in the picture below is our family's first cat. I got it from the local SPCA when he was only six weeks old. It was born in the outside world, not used to any human contact. Despite the kitten's history, I fell madly in love with him.

When I took the kitten immediately to the vet for a check-up, he arched his back and hissed angrily at the veterinarian. I have never had a cat before, so I wasn't too sure what the kitten was doing. Then the vet recommended me to take the kitten back to the SPCA with my little boys looking at him wide-eyed. He told me the kitten was too wild and would not make a good family pet. Well, I'm sure you have already guessed by now that I didn't do that. I felt too much compassion for the kitten to abandon him and so I decided to take him home.

When I got home and put the kitten down, the first thing he did was climb up our chimney. He wouldn't come out. I left food for him, but I never saw the kitten for several days. I prayed constantly for him and wondered if I made the right decision, Finally the kitten came down to eat. It was the opportunity I was waiting for. I began to pet the kitten and talk softly to him.

In time we were able to win his affection and nobody was more excited than I was when I heard a kitten purr for the first time. We named him "Hide-a-way" for obvious reasons and he became a wonderful addition to the family. As you can see the cat didn't even mind being trapped in the arms of my son while he was sleeping.

"These things will last forever—faith, hope and love—and the greatest of these is love."

1 Corinthians 13:13

When I look at this picture, it reminds me of the power of God's love. It can transform a life completely. In the Bible, Saul, who once murdered and imprisoned Christians, became a mighty man of God, who served God diligently until the end of his life. What changed him? It was an encounter with God, experiencing the amazing power of His love. Today, God's love can do the same. It can transform any life. Just like our love turned a wild kitten into a wonderful family pet, God's love can turn a person no matter how bad or damaged into something beautiful and precious.