Often times we may find ourselves questioning our motives in life and really wondering how dedicated we are to God. But on the other side of this question, we may find comfort in knowing God grants us the privilege to look at Him and observe His dedication to us. In the story of the lost sheep, as told by Jesus in Luke 15, a herdsman had 100 sheep until one wandered away. Leaving the other 99 behind, he sought for the lost sheep and found it, rejoicing greatly and celebrating with others in response. This parable is meant to show God’s dedication to us; that even when we reject Him, He will never reject us. Even nature, serving as God’s general revelation, exemplifies His dedication to us.
Due to caring for aging family members, my friend found his family leaving him behind as they moved from Tennessee to Kentucky. They took most everything they owned—including his cat. My friend was very close to his cat and, without proper supplications to take care of it, his parents took the cat with them. Disgruntled after not getting a vote in the decision, my friend’s cat one day went missing without a notice to the family. After months of searching with no clues, the family finally concluded the cat was not going to return and told my friend his cat was a “gonner.” But thankfully, their conclusion of the cat’s status was premature.
After being gone four months and traveling a grand total of 330 miles, my friend one day gets a call from his neighbor exclaiming that his “missing” cat had just been found—at his door! Surprised yet excited, he rushed over to his house to verify this news for himself. To his amazement, his cat, through frail and bone-skinny, had traveled all this distance just to be with his owner once again. Not only was this feline gone four months and traveled 330 miles, but it had to fend for itself, provide for itself, and even swim across a river to be united with its owner. One can only imagine the feeling of unity they both felt.
As a humorous yet true story, my friend’s cat exemplifies what it means to be dedicated to whom we love. God, loving us enough to become our Savior, faithfully searches after us with effort to draw us back to Him. Sometimes though, we close our hearts to Him and desire no relationship with Him. God respects our decision, but as in the Parable of the Prodigal Son, He is always standing with open arms ready to embrace us if we repent and return to Him. Yet even in our stubbornness, God may sometimes choose to seek us, allowing us to be called “children of God” (Galatians 3:26). This is dedication that exceeds.
