Reflection to Insight

For pretty much my entire life, from the time I was an infant until now, I have always been raised around cats. As a result, this has created a soft spot in my heart for them. And as much as I love dogs, I love cats just as much.

Reflecting on the behaviors my cats have displayed over the years, I’ve realized there are different lessons I can learn from them. I find that some of their instinctive actions reveal a truth about life and humanity.

One of those truths, is their ability to slow down, chill out, and live in the moment.

If you’ve been around kittens, you know that they are creatures high strung with energy. As they get older, they tend to become less active, but now and again they still get an itch to run around and play. But with that, they are professionals when it comes to rest and sleep. It’s not abnormal for them to just power out and start snoozing whenever they feel like it.

As much as cats get criticized for being lazy and uncaring, I would argue this actually plays to some of their strengths.

Obviously, we as people don’t want to act lazy and uncaring in several areas through life. Doing so would get us into a lot of trouble. But I do feel that we often need to slow ourselves down from the bustle of life, and we have a very hard time doing so.

When we finally have a down period, we start getting antsy, and feeling stressed about not working. Sitting still becomes uncomfortable and agitating, instead of restful and restorative as it is supposed to be. By watching my cats for many years now, I appreciate their life habit of slowing down and letting rest be a constant part of their routine.

Biblically speaking, rest is a theme addressed quite frequently. When we trust the Lord more than our own efforts, we are able to ease up, knowing He loves and looks after us. Psalm 4:8 – “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

As a young adult, I have felt the strain and pressure that comes with growth and the pursuit of accomplishment. Society promotes this idea of working endlessly and striving for greatness. But in the process of doing so, fails to acknowledge what all is sacrificed by living in such a way. Without a doubt we should push ourselves and seek improvement. If we stop growing, we will become stagnant, and eventually regress.

But that improvement must be balanced with stillness. If stillness is lost in life, our mental, spiritual, physical, and emotional health, along with our relationships, may all suffer. By pausing more often, we can start to see the little pockets of joy spread throughout each day. We can notice the people and opportunities we may otherwise have missed had we kept chugging along, not slowing an inch.