“Let us therefore no longer pass judgment on one another, but resolve instead never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of another.”

Romans 14:13 NRSV Bible

Yesterday morning I chased after my cat yelling, “WAIT, IT’s ALIVE!”  The tiny victim of her recent hunting was still literally kicking before I aided its dispatch and put it out into the flower bed.  Now, you probably have an opinion about allowing pet cats outdoors.  Domestic cats don’t disturb the natural order of things when they are kept INSIDE.  I’m of a mind now, that perhaps humankind was cruel to adopt anything wild as a pet in the first place.  

Life confined indoors certainly does NOT suit my cat and keeping her indoors ALL the time certainly does NOT suit me.  Letting her out has saved me years of her relentless spraying.  As a youngster, she ruined everything from our shoes to the kids’ stuffed toys.  I spent time cleaning up after her with alcohol or vinegar and a variety of deterrents, but NO, that DID NOT stop her.  I carefully followed instructions about where to locate and how often to clean her litter but she didn’t follow the RULES.  Besides the filthy mess, Daisy was destroying all of our wooden and upholstered furniture with her claws. (I’m AGAINST declawing, by the way.)   I’m MUCH happier seeing her use the clothesline post to sharpen her nails rather than my chair!  

As a last resort, our veterinarian TOLD US, “for the love of all that is good, LET THAT CAT OUTSIDE!”  And so we did and, she continues to do some nasty, wild, catty things indoors but letting her out LESSENS the impact inside. She Does bring in her catches from time to time, but I’m okay with this compromise.

Does everyone agree with my decision?  NO, and I don’t expect you to.  I know that in some places cats are forbidden by law to be outside and for good reason.  Perhaps I should NOT HAVE a cat since I’m not willing to accept whatever sacrifices that means for my household.  But I do.  I DO have a cat.  And SINCE I have a cat, I have decisions to make and those decisions will NOT necessarily jive with YOUR decisions and opinions.  Are you going to chastise me?  Maybe.  Surely someone will pass negative judgment on me. Unfriend me.  CANCEL ME. 

Whether or not I should let my cat outdoors is MY decision and dependent upon MY personal, unique set of circumstances. I understand the risk and the cons for myself and OTHERS. God, the Higher Power, the Source of everything, KNOWS what I am up to and I’ve made my peace with that. I am prepared to answer to God, the Eternal One, for how I’ve chosen to accommodate my cat into MY life.  

This sounds RIDICULOUSLY trivial, doesn’t it?  Personally held opinions can SO easily become obstacles that STOP us from getting along.  We easily cast judgment on anything or anyone that doesn’t match up with our OWN views.  Even faith practices are not left untouched.  In Christian scriptures we can read a letter from Paul (a prominent Jewish Christian around 30 years after Jesus) written to a mixed Roman/Jewish church in Rome which shows that the faithful followers of Jesus engaged in HEATED arguments about what they ATE and which days they marked as HOLY.  It’s clear that it has ALWAYS been very hard NOT to pass judgment.   So, how do we STOP bickering about personal preferences and focus instead on WORKING TOGETHER to help each other steer away from moral failure?  

MORAL FAILURE, that’s right.  Moral failure is a scary idea, isn’t it?  To live JUSTLY with one another, it’s necessary to be mindful of what we, ETHICALLY, are WILLING to NEGOTIATE.  Sometimes it isn’t possible for us to flourish with others because, well – sometimes we hurt each other in ways that are DIFFICULT, if not IMPOSSIBLE to reconcile.  It is helpful to remember that at our CORE we are the same.   We come from the same Source. Christians maintain that we are created in God’s image and are loved EQUALLY by the Creator of Everything with NO exception.

Across many faiths, WISDOM invites us to LOVE and pray for our enemies and those who hate and persecute us.  White supremacy, hate speech and hateful actions, racism – these are CHOICES beyond what those who follow the way of love are WILLING to negotiate.  These sins, these immoralities, are UNDENIABLE. These hurtful actions and abuses of power NEED to be dealt with.  The community of love NEEDS to call out and expose these destructive lies and those who continue to accept and perpetuate them.  

In the ETERNAL realm of love, the wrongdoer still needs to be held ACCOUNTABLE.  When we are living in LOVE,  forgiveness isn’t necessarily FAIR or DESERVED. Can you imagine if it was?  I hope the Great Creator is NOT modeling divine forgiveness on human choices.   I believe that the DIVINE invites US to forgive others out of deep, enduring LOVE – over and over and over to infinity and beyond. 

It’s important to note that reconciliation requires BOTH the offer of forgiveness and the NAMING and acceptance of RESPONSIBILITY for wrongful, hurtful, or abusive behaviour. Biblically speaking, our moral model is Jesus who is always showing us how to prioritize GRACE and MERCY as well as ACCOUNTABILITY to one another and to our Source, to God.  Jesus tells us to forgive our neighbours from our HEARTS.  

Whenever an issue of the heart arises I put on my SOUL glasses.  Through these lenses – the view of eternity is clear.  My inner spirit says, “Hey, Nadine, NO ONE is perfect.”  It’s true, isn’t it?  I don’t know WHY this is true or WHY it is so comforting- but IT IS.  We all fall short, some fall further and harder than others. But my heart always reminds me about grace.  The Eternal Wisdom Keeper who dwells in us, through us and with us IS MERCIFUL.  It’s time to stop keeping a tally of how much or how many wrongs you, yourself have already forgiven.  Love and compassionate mercy are the character of our Creator.  As REFLECTIONS of our GOOD SOURCE, we are invited to reciprocate – by loving and forgiving and keeping JUSTICE in our communities of faith and in the world. 

Just so you know, I forgive my cat.  She’s just being a CAT.  I feel bad for the mice, I really do.  They are tiny and adorable innocents.  Creatures of the Creator.  I also forgive myself for making a decision in favour of MY own comfort.  You know what – it’s okay.  Nobody is perfect. This is the driving fact behind our ABILITY to forgive each other.  We make selfish, messy and complicated decisions that are not always ideal.  In quick order, we tear ourselves down and we puff ourselves up in judgy self-righteousness.

But when we CHOOSE to walk in the Spirit of love, it means that we let go of our insistence on being right and dedicate ourselves to making ROOM at the table.  We can WELCOME ALL people, as we have been welcomed and encourage ALL to celebrate and give thanks to our Maker in their OWN Spirit-inspired creativity, and DIVERSITY.  We CHOOSE to love one another.  We CHOOSE to work toward healing relationships.  We CHOOSE to move toward a beautiful, indescribable UNITY of the physical, spiritual, and communal realm of LOVE that is available to us right now in part,  and will one day come in the true fullness of eternity.  We can embrace the way of LOVE, everyday.

We can bless our decisions to MAKE them the RIGHT decisions for ourselves by committing them to the Creator.   In terms of our multi-faith reality, our varied practices, however grand or routine, are done for the SAME PURPOSE.  The motives are the same.  We do what we do because we believe it is the right thing to do in order to HONOUR the ONE who made us, sustains us and loves us.  If this is GOOD ENOUGH for the Divine, then why can’t everyone be accepted as ENOUGH and GOOD?

Whenever we let go of the hate, the desire for revenge, anger, and retribution – EVEN WHEN it is completely understandable to FEEL and WANT these things, we take a chance that there is a POSSIBILITY for a wonderfully RENEWED relationship or a RELEASE from the oppression of anger and resentment that BINDS us.   Either way, we are loved and we are FREE to love. The rhythm of the universe and the light in our hearts work together to SHINE an eternal energy of LOVE and connection day by day and age after age.  SHINE ON.

“Forgiveness is a powerful expression of the love within our soul.”

Anthony Douglas