Tootsie Roll Lesson

I have two cats. Chilli and Pepper. Chilli is the furry one and Pepper is the one with the eye problem. Both are good cats - as far as cats go - and have been with us for 11 and 12 years. They are indoor cats which means that they eat, sleep, pee, poop, and purr inside. Their litter box is in the basement of our home and they are both "regular" users of the facilities. For the most part they bury their stuff and as we use "clumping" litter, it's relatively easy to clean up what they leave behind (no pun intended).

We also have a dog. His name is Jake and he loves to bug Pepper and stays clear of the house-boss (Chilli). Jake is a typical dog and has to be taught what is good and what is bad yet sometimes he doesn't listen too well.

What's all this got to do with Tootsie Rolls? Well, Jake has this habit of going to the cat's litter box and enjoying what they leave behind. We think he thinks they are treats (Tootsie Rolls) because that's what they tend to look like. Every once in a while Jake will walk into the livingroom with a clump of litter hardening on his nose. We know where he's been! Yuck! No matter what we do to stop him from eating these "tasty" morsels he continues to seek them out and enjoy his snack. He doesn't seem to know - or care - that they are bad for him and that he's really just eating CRAP.

I have often wondered whether it's like that for us. Sometimes I find myself "enjoying" something that is bad for me - something that either God (through His Word) or others have told me is bad for me. I don't seem to care that what I am putting into my body or mind really is CRAP.

I think that the reason I find myself enjoying CRAP (Tootsie Rolls) is that I'm looking for treats in the litter box. God has provided a wonderful planet with all kinds of "good" things to enjoy and yet fallen humanity finds themselves going to the litter box of life to find enjoyment. The evils of this world and the attitudes that go with all of it are what I would consider the "litter box" of life.

For example; when we were living in the USA I was amazed that people would park outside of Porn Shops, get out of their cars and walk, in full view of everyone walking or driving by, enter the establishment. They seemed to not be ashamed of what they were about to "enjoy". They were okay with eating the tootsie roll from the litter box rather than enjoy the true tootsie roll that God set up in a healthy and God-honouring marriage.

I am so pleased with the gift that God has given me. I love her. God is good. She really is a treat! Thank you God for my wife! Why would I want to enjoy what really is CRAP when God has provided me with the best Candy in the world?

I wonder why we settle for a fake when the real thing is so much better. Are we just like the family dog? NOT! God has loved us from the start and when we choose to live for Him our eyes are opened up to all the good and pure things He has provided for our enjoyment. So, stay out of the litter box and get into the playground provided by a loving God. Stay away from what looks like a Tootsie Roll and enjoy the real thing. Find the real thing in God's Word and at a God-honouring Church near you.