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The other night, my cat Sneezy did something he has not done in a long, long time…and it's something I have sorely missed in a long, long time: as I was lying in bed, he lay down on my chest and fell asleep.

A bit of explanation may be in order. When I first adopted Sneezy, as a kitten, he had a terrible cold (hence his name). He was a very loving and snuggly cat, and at nights he wanted to lay down on my chest to fall asleep. However--and I realize this might sound silly now--because his nose was so stuffed up, he snored something awful. I know, I know! What a silly thing. But it was just enough to keep me awake, and so I would move him to the foot of the bed. Alas, he soon learned to stay at the foot of the bed, even after the cold had passed. Over the years, Sneezy contented himself to sleeping elsewhere. At first, it was the foot of the bed; after the arrival of the dogs, and their presence on the beds, Sneezy simply chose to sleep in another room.

You can imagine my surprise, then--and happiness--when one night, out of the blue, Sneezy did something he had not done in four years: he came and snuggled with me for the night. For me, it was a memory from Sneezy's childhood. Granted, he was much bigger--and MUCH heavier--than those long-ago days. But I was happy to have him back; I was happy to have my child-cat back.

God looks on us as His children. 1 John 3:1 says, "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" We are God's children! Unfortunately, sometimes we grow away. But we are God's children--and God always welcomes us back. Indeed, God cherishes our return.

What a wonderful place to be.

In Christ,

--Pastor Dan