With a warm heart and a joyful spirit, Cindy reveals Godly principles and heavenly purposes for the circumstances of life. Her honesty before the Lord and in her writings help her readers connect, learn, grow and develop a contagious hope that God will bring good things from astounding situations.
Gillian, Tabasco Sauce and Human Nature
By Cindy Amelung
Gillian is my compliant kitten girl. She is the observer. She mostly watches her sister, Dana, get into all kinds of trouble because of all the adventures she insists on having. Dana cannot stay out of trouble for any length of time and Gillian knows this. She sees the things her sister gets in trouble for and she avoids them. Most of the time.
I was working on a quilt for my daughter and had all my pieces cut out so I could start sewing them together. I got out the sewing machine, plugged it in and begin to sew. Kittens, like puppies, have to cut teeth so they chew on everything in sight. My kitten girls are no exception – electrical cords are a particularly favorite chew toy. On this day, as I started to sew, Gillian started chewing on the electrical cord to the sewing machine. I said, NO in a very stern voice and she stopped. Now normally, saying NO just once is sufficient. Gillian usually stops the bad behavior and I don’t have to tell her a second time. Dana, on the other hand, won’t quit no matter how many times you say NO. I always say you have to get her attention with a 2 x 4 in order to discipline her. Please hear me when I say that I would never do anything to harm my kitten girls. I am only drawing a comparison here – Gillian is the compliant one and Dana is not.
This time once was not enough. Gillian came back again and again and refused to leave the cord alone. Frustrated, I remembered a tip my vet had given me regarding this very issue. She suggested putting Tabasco sauce on the cord – it doesn’t hurt the animal but should deter them from chewing. I ran to the kitchen cabinet, got out the sauce and smeared it on the cord. I sat back down to sew very pleased with myself for having outsmarted a two month old kitten. Until…As I watched, Gillian proceeded to lick the sauce off the cord. She made a funny face, paused and then licked the cord clean - she didn’t even go to the water dish!
Now what? I was dumbfounded and out of options. Then it hit me – how often do we do things that hurt us spiritually and even when we feel the sting of sin, we continue with our harmful behavior? I think of my own stubbornness. So many, many times in my life God has tried to steer me in the direction of His will and I refused to obey. Even when I suffered terrible consequences and was absolutely miserable in my life, I continued in my rebellion. And what did that get me? Regrets. Things I cannot change now and will have to live with the rest of my life. Lost opportunities to serve God and help those around me who are hurting. Lessons that were learned the hard way.
I am happy to report that Gillian’s disobedience that day was an anomaly. She is once again the compliant kitten girl I love. I can also report, that because of God’s grace, mercy, love, compassion and incredible patience, I am also a more compliant child. Being obedient to Him is the best choice I have ever made or ever will make – and it comes with absolutely no regrets.
Cindy Amelung is a creative and entertaining writer. "Gillian, Tobasco Sauce and Human Nature " is the second in a series of articles Cindy has written sharing the antics of her kittens and the valuable lessons she's learned from God while caring for them. Click Here to go to: "Dana and the New Year"
