"You This is Me" part 2: ADORATION

I love the idea of cats, but they annoy the heck out of me because they’re so doggone arrogant. There are some cats, though, that know their proper role on the planet—to serve humans. I guess I really do like some cats—the ones that bring dead mice to the doorstep to pay homage to their master. Our neighbor has a cat like that. I love that thing. It’s so cool when he brings dead mice to my neighbor’s porch. I want tell that cat, “You rock!” That’s awesome—a cat that brings dead meat to your door. I can get into that.

Generally speaking, though, cats are full of themselves. My Grandmother used to have a demon-cat that thought she was the center of the universe. I felt obligated to remind her every now and then that I had power over her. Putting a little tape on her paws and setting her down on the linoleum floor went a long way to remind her that I could make her life a living hell. “Remember who your god is!” I wanted to scream at that cat.

Dogs are different. They just worship their owner. Now that is cool. A friend used to have a medium-size dog that loved him so much that crazy dog would sit and just stare at my friend as if to say, “Just say the word. Tell me what to do. Anything. And I will run through a wall or off a cliff doing your bidding!” My friend would tap his chest and that dog would burst into a sprint toward my friend and then leap into his arms and lick his face. “That’s worship!” my friend would say. Very cool!

Here is the difference between a dog and a cat:

The dog looks up at his owner and says, “You feed me. You clothe me. You shelter me. You take care of my needs. Wooow! You must be God!”

The cat says, “You feed me. You clothe me. You shelter me. You take care of my needs. Wooow! I must be God!”

The first step in learning how to pray the way God wants us to, is simply to adore him. Adoration, according to the dictionary, means to respect, esteem, admire, or worship.

Think of my friend’s dog. That’s adoration. Whatever is the object of our greatest affections is what we adore and worship.

Think about this—what are the things that captivate your deepest affections? When we come to the end of our lives and stand before our Maker, will we be ashamed of what we spent our lives adoring?