Ollie

Our family made a new friend while camping this summer - a gorgeous gray and black spotted cat. He just came walking out of the woods one afternoon and made himself at home on our campsite. I'm no expert but I'd say he was less than a year old, and he was pretty thin. So we shared some of our hotdogs with him, and he hung out with us until it got dark. In the morning, he was back, waiting for breakfast and someone to scratch him behind the ears.

By lunchtime, the kids had named him "Ollie" (for Oliver Twist) and had started pleading to take him home and keep him. We already had two cats at home - along with two dogs, a couple of hermit crabs, and a dozen fish - so I immediately laid down the law...no more pets, period. We would just enjoy Ollie's company while we were camping.

On our last night, one of the park rangers stopped by and we found out that Ollie had been around the park all season. The ranger was hoping someone would adopt the cat, because the chances of him making it through the winter unprotected from raccoons and coyotes were pretty slim.

I caved.

The next morning, my husband made a quick trip home for a pet carrier while I made an appointment with our vet to take Ollie in that day to be declawed and neutered. The plan was to wait for Ollie to come out for breakfast, pick him up, and take him home.

But Ollie didn't come out that morning. We could see him in the woods, just out of reach, but he wouldn't come to us. We called him, tempted him with food...nothing worked. The same cat who'd spent the better part of two days curled up affectionately with us would not come out of the woods.

The kids were devastated. Didn't Ollie love us? Didn't he know we'd give him a good home and good food and keep him safe? Why wouldn't he come out? All I could tell them was that Ollie wasn't ready to be someone's pet.

We left that afternoon - without Ollie.

I kept thinking about Ollie, though. It was almost as if he knew that our relationship with him had moved from casual to committed, and he wanted no part of being "kept."

Haven't I done that with God?

How often have I stayed just out His reach, not letting Him get any closer? Even knowing all the great things that God has for those who walk with Him on a daily basis, there are still lots of days I choose to stay in the woods alone - days when I don't want to be "kept".

We had to leave Ollie in the woods...but God is always there waiting for me to come back to Him.

He'll let me be casual, if that's what I want.

But wouldn't it be better to be His?