Last week I discovered my cats think they are self-sufficient!  Let me explain.  About a month ago I bought an automatic feeder for them.  Now 3 times a day they get a measured amount of cat food dispensed.  Before this, however, my cats were at my bedroom door, even before I woke up.  They followed me in the bathroom and sat on the sink counter and watched me shave and get get ready, appealing for an occasional petting or some attention.  It was a great routine.  I enjoyed their company and thought we had a good relationship.  But then last week, I noticed they have not been around in the morning any longer.  I don’t see them until I am dressed and go downstairs.  What happened?

They are now being fed by something other than me and so they’ve lost their  interest in being my morning companions.  So sad.  They don’t realize that even though they are fed by an automatic feeder, I am the one who fills the feeder.  I’m still show them my care by ensuring they are fed daily, as before.

It occurred to me that this is a good image of how we often relate to God.  When we are “hungry” (needing something) our attention regularly goes to God and we seek after God.  However, when we feel “full” and satisfied, thinking we have all we need, then our sense of self-sufficiency replaces our search and we might not feel the need as much for God.  How soon we forget, “God fills the feeder.”

I’ve learned an important lesson from my cats.  What is my perception of self-sufficiency?  Am I seeking a deeper relationship with God or am I not “feeling hungry” these days?