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I was at home and Mom told me that she was pulled over by the police. I asked her, “What happened?” She told me she was driving down Route One, missed her exit, and did a U-turn. “Apparently, I wasn’t supposed to,” she said. A police officer pulled her over and asked her, “Do you know why I pulled you over.” Mom answered honestly, “I have no idea.” He said, “You made an illegal U-turn.” Mom said, “I just saw you do the same thing.” The officer said, “That is because I was following you.” My mother told me, “I am not sure why, but I got very emotional, and I started to cry, “My husband is going to kill me.” The officer said, “No, don’t do that, don’t cry, I am not going to give you a ticket. Just don’t do it again.” I thought, “If a police officer, who is trained to be emotionally detached and cold can be compassionate, imagine the compassion that God can have toward us.
Remember the widow of Nain? Jesus was walking near the city gate and a large crowd was on their way to assist a mother who had to bury her son. It gets worse. She is a widow. She didn’t ask for help, but Jesus had compassion. We, however, should ask because when we ask, we pray. But this woman didn’t have to ask. Why? She had tears. Jesus said, “Do not weep.” Jesus gave her a reason not to cry. God hears the cry. This is when God is most visible. He places the hand on the dead son, and he starts to talk. He probably has a lot to say: “Where are you all taking me? Why is everyone looking at me like that? Why is everyone so happy? Why are all these people here? Hey, where are we going? What are you talking about? What do you mean I have been dead?” By the time the son figures out what happened, Jesus has already slipped deep into the village. What did we learn? God is most visible when we are at our lowest point. That is when God can be God.
My parents had the most unfriendly cat I ever met in my entire life. All I had to do was say, “Here kitty, kitty and she would bolt. I think I know how she got her disposition. My mother used to pick the cat up and give her a big hug: “Oh you are so cuuuuute.” You could look in the cat’s eyes and see the hate. So, one day I went into the house, and the cat is lying on its back on my brother’s lap, purring, mushy, and loving. Stunned, I said to my brother, “How did you get the cat to do that?” My brother, who suffers from bouts of depression said, “The cat always seems to know when I am having a bad day, she will not leave me.” I thought to myself, ”If a cat with a personality disorder can feel for a human being and come to help, imagine how much God wants to come and help someone in need.” When the cat died, naturally, my brother was devastated. I called dad and asked him: “What are you going to do?” He said, “I am going to get him another cat.” A few weeks later my brother called me. I was in the office and Carol our office manager said, “Your brother is on the line.” I asked him, “How is your new cat?” This is what he said, “I don’t have to feel sad for the cat to like me, this one likes me all the time.” I was so happy and relieved that I turned to Carol to share the good news. She said to me, “You see, God never stops watching.”
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