This week’s challenge was to share a photo that tells a story. This one tells a story of defiance. It’s as though I told the cat, “Don’t you dare put one paw into my kitchen.” And he sits there retorting, “Ha! And what are you going to do about it?”

Cats are not my favorite pet, and that is mostly due to their smug, “I-run-this-house-not-you” personalities. They cannot be trained to stay off surfaces where they don’t belong. Or if they can, I have yet to discover the secret.

Cats are not alone in their defiance. How often has God told me not to do a thing, and I replied, “I’m going to do it anyway.” I am not usually so bold as to finish the thought with, “And what are You going to do about it?” My thought usually runs in the vein of, “It’s easier to ask forgiveness than permission.” But if I already know it’s wrong, then I have no business doing it, even if I intend to seek forgiveness later.

Defiance or Disposition?

A cat does what he does because he’s a cat. It’s his nature to climb, seek water, eat, sleep, and play. He does not know right from wrong.

But we do, because God gave us a conscience. In the verses below, Samuel gives the people God’s prescription for a successful life. In short, if we want God’s blessings, we must live God’s way.

1 Samuel 12:14-15 If you will fear the LORD, and serve Him, and obey His voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both you and also the king that reigns over you continue following the LORD your God: But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as it was against your fathers.

Boundaries

Everywhere you go, there are boundaries. Streets have crosswalks for pedestrians and stripes to guide the lanes of traffic. Crossing over the line doesn’t seem to matter much until another car is coming from the opposite direction. Suddenly it matters a lot!

God sets boundaries too: Do not kill, covet, steal, commit adultery, worship idols, etc. Crossing these boundaries sets us in the course of oncoming traffic, thereby affecting the lives of other people.

So let’s set aside our defiance and demonstrate compliance instead, thereby securing God’s blessing on ourselves and others. Even if you don’t know why God told you to stay out of the kitchen, don’t rebel like the cat in the photo, but trust Him and obey.