A Nasty Twig

Our cat Amelie has been sick for five days. The first trip to the vet resulted in the misdiagnosis of an ingested grass seed which might have led to a lung infection. She was given anti-inflammatories to snort every morning.

She continued to refuse food and drink, grew increasingly lethargic and although she purred readily, her general condition was deteriorating before our eyes. Back to the vet, a different vet, who listened to our descriptions and then examined her. She lingered round her throat, feeling some inflamed glands and massaging as she felt what might be there.

Suddenly Amelie gagged and coughed out a twig over an inch long. It had obviously been lodged in her throat, preventing swallowing and causing increasing distress to her. 

The vet was surprised that her massage had produced such an immediate result. We had prayed for Amelie – were divine fingers guiding those of the vet? I think so.

First miracle of the day.

The Bible tells us to chew over Scripture, to taste it and suck on it and swallow it so that it becomes an intrinsic part of us. But sometimes we have twigs which we have swallowed which prevent the good ‘food’ of the gospel from going all the way in. We have been so marinated in the world’s ‘wisdom’ that we fail to see its inadequacies when compared to God’s wisdom. 

We might find ourselves offended by God’s teaching. How often should I forgive? Seventy times seven? What should I give away? Everything? How much should I love God? With my whole heart, soul, mind and being? And my neighbour too???

The world preaches a gospel of self: look after number 1; if it feels good, do it; we deserve self-indulgence, at whatever price. These ideas can be like a twig in our spiritual throats.

We need our divine Lord to massage our throats and dislodge those things which prevent his word from entering into us and becoming fully absorbed into our very beings. Or maybe I’m seeing this round the wrong way: if Jesus (the Word) is already living in us, then perhaps those twigs of inferior worldly ideas and wisdom prevent us from allowing his fullness and life to flow out through us to a hurting world. 

Either way, that nasty twig has got to go. Help, Lord!