Take Time To Enjoy Life

When we lived in the hills in northern New Mexico, we had two dogs and a cat. Both dogs were larger than the cat, but the cat was still in charge. They grew up together and had no traditional cat-dog animosity. They loved each other. The dogs were Flicka and Tyke, and the cat was Tiggy. The family called her Tig.

One day when I returned home from work, I saw Tig stalking something — or someone. I slowly got out of the car and crept up to look over the white picket fence.

The cat’s eyes were intensely focused, her belly was barely touching the ground, and her tail was twitching as she ever-so-slowly inched her way forward. Her target? A hapless Tyke, taking a nap about 22 feet away.

I almost held my breath, waiting to see what Tig would do.

Suddenly, like an F/A 18 Super Hornet being catapulted from the deck of the USS Reagan, Tig bolted toward Tyke! Reaching the sleeping victim in a second, she leapt over him, smacking him on the rump with her right forward paw as she flew over. As she touched down, Tyke, jerked out of sleep, was up and after her. He instinctively knew the game.

But Tig had it all figured out. Her attack was not intended to include a chase this time, but to show superiority. By the time Tyke could get out a playful bark but before he could generate any momentum, Tig was up the tree five feet away.

I can still see it: Tyke standing on his hind legs with his front paws against the tree, vociferously discussing things with the cat; while Tig, hanging onto the tree by her needle-sharp talons about eight feet off the ground, looked down and issued a gentle hiss at the dog. The hiss is translated as, “I win — again.”

In a few minutes the game was over. Tyke asked for his evening dinner while Tig enjoyed a few minutes in the arms of her adoring mistress: our daughter, Rebecca.

Do you enjoy life like that? No, I’m not inferring that you are an animal. Do you take time out of your busy life to have fun?

With all the stuff going on in the world — for example: people committing murder in the name of their religion, people manifesting intolerance while demanding tolerance from others, people insisting on political correctness while simultaneously disdaining common sense, and more — it is sometimes difficult to find time to enjoy a happy moment; but it is possible, and necessary.

Some time ago dad and mom came to visit us. On the second day a gentle breeze was blowing and dad said, “The temperature is just about right; how about a game of tennis?”

We went to the court, but within 15 minutes it began raining. Not a gully-washer, but a gentle drizzle that encourages rosebushes to blossom.

“Oh, goodnight! There goes our tennis game.”

“Why, dad? What’s wrong with playing with a wet ball? And with our new shoes, we won’t slip on the court.” Dad relented and we continued.

We played hard, and those balls looked like a sideways Saturn as the water spun off. After a half hour, the rain let up, the clouds parted.

“I haven’t had this much fun playing tennis in years. Where’d you learn to play in the rain?”

“You probably enjoyed it because you beat me.” I replied. “But you taught me long ago not to let little things bother me; and this rain was not a bother but a joy.”

“Thank you for learning, and thank you for feeding it back. I needed the lesson. And YES! I enjoyed beating you.”

We laughed, got dried off and I treated dad to a chocolate milkshake. That was the price for losing. But spending time with dad was never a waste of time. We enjoyed being together.

Do you know that our Heavenly Father enjoys it when you spend time with Him? In Hebrews 13:5 Jesus even said, “I’ll never leave you.” That statement alone should give you a great sense of security. Rain or shine, enjoy the time with God as you study the Bible and honor Him in everything you do.