The imperfect gift

My imperfect gift from God

When we read theology about God and God-likenss, we read about perfection. In fact, we read terms like all knowing, all goodness, all perfection. So, if this is true, then why are God's gift's so all-flawed?

I come to this question thanks to my cat, Buttons. Again, he woke me up early, despite my attempts to close him out of the bedroom. My cat that came as an answer to prayer. My gift from God. 

Let me tell you about my gift. I had transferred to a new monastery and felt lonely and homesick. I prayed I would "see" a kitty. Instead, I found a little kitten abandoned by its mother, curled up in the leaves. He was maybe 4 weeks old. He was scrawny, tiny, and needed someone to care for him. I was allowed to keep him. My gift from God.

But Buttons is not the sweet, cuddly kitten I could wish for. As a feral cat, he retains his wild streak, which he unleashes when I least suspect or want it. He is fussy, picky about his food, easily upset if he doesn't get his way, and yes, likes to wake me up early, really early.

So I look at this "gift from God" and wonder, why did my gift have to be so imperfect? If God is so perfect, why can't God's gifts be perfect too?

And then I think, perhaps my concept is flawed. Perhaps my flawed thinking comes from the human experience.  Ever ask someone for help and have them take over? Like since you asked, somehow you are deficient, and they must do it themselves. Ask, and you will be controlled.

God is not like that. When you ask God for a gift, God does not take over. God does not treat you or me like we are so deficient that we cannot handle life. Instead, God gives us what is very fallible. Because God knows, we can handle it. We can take those gifts and figure it out. God does not need to take over in our lives and treat us as idiots. God has greater respect for us than that.

So, I look at Buttons and remember, we have been getting along for over 14 years. I love unlocking the apartment door, and finding him right there to greet me. I love it when he settles somewhere near me, just because he likes being there. I love it when he talks to me.

And so, when he wakes me in the early am, I must remember, I can handle it. Because God's gift, though not perfect, is right for me.