Good News

Good news from far away
is like cold water to the thirsty.

CAT AND HER HUSBAND, AL, knew their cat, Hans, needed a friend. The Ragdoll had come into their lives as a kitten and immediately bonded with their older cat, Katie. But when Katie lost her battle with kidney disease, Hans was devastated. He became clingy and skittish.

At first Al was resistant to the idea of another cat—the pain of losing Katie was still so raw.

But as Hans continued to grieve the loss of his friend, Al and Cat began searching for a younger female on a local Ragdoll cat rescue site.

Unfortunately, only older male cats were available, so they decided to wait and pray for just the right cat for their family.

They didn’t have to wait long.

Just a few days after their initial search, they received a message about a three-year-old female blue point Ragdoll named Lily who was in need of a new home. Cat and Al immediately emailed the family to let them know they would love to meet Lily. And then they waited.

And waited.

Cat didn’t want to get her hopes up, but at the same time she felt sure that Lily was meant to be theirs.

They prayed again, asking God to bring just the right cat into their lives—at just the right time. Then Cat and Al both went to work and tried not to think about Lily.

When they returned home, there was still no response from Lily’s family.

“Perhaps they changed their minds about giving her up for adoption,” Cat said.

“Maybe they chose another family,” Al said.

Suddenly the phone rang, and Cat answered it. It was Lily’s owner. She had been touched by Cat and Al’s email and wanted to tell them what was going on.

She explained that when her son returned home from being deployed overseas, his doctor discovered he had a brain tumor.

As the family was processing this news, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and destroyed their home. The family moved to North Carolina to be close to the hospital where their son was scheduled for experimental treatment.

The family had several cats, but Lily was so young that she was having trouble adjusting to all the changes. All she wanted to do was play. But her human family couldn’t give her the attention and affection she deserved. They wanted her to go to a home where she could thrive, but they were struggling with the difficult decision to let her go.

Cat listened with humble gratitude for their sacrifice.

“We would like to talk it over as a family this weekend,” Lily’s owner said, “and then I will call you on Sunday.”

And so Cat and Al waited, fearing the answer would be no.

When the phone rang on Sunday, the answer was yes. The family wanted Cat and Al to give Lily a home. Cat tried not to squeal into the phone as they made arrangements for Lily to be brought to their home that evening.

Cat hugged Hans. “You’re going to get a little sister tonight,” she told him, her voice giddy with excitement.

When Lily stepped out of her cat carrier, she began walking around the house like she belonged there. And from the moment Hans first sniffed her, he would not stop following her around.

Lily’s original owners still keep in touch. Cat sends them regular updates about the cat they loved enough to let go. And Cat is delighted every time she gets an update about their son’s miraculous recovery. Not only is Lily thriving, but so are two grateful families that have been connected because of her.

PAWS & PONDER . . .

What good news have you experienced recently? What good news are you longing to hear? In what way is the good news of the gospel like cold water to someone who is thirsty?

Paws & Pray

Lord Jesus, you provided the best news of all when you defeated sin and death and rose to life. You did all this so that I can have a relationship with God, by believing and trusting in you. Thank you for choosing to lay down your life for me. Father, give me opportunities to share this incredible news with others.