Of cats, medicine and faith

Well, it turns out that our newest addition, little Glock, had a bit more than a cold.  Looks like it's some sort of kitty herpes that got the other two cats in quite a bad way.  By the time we ran Sam and Spike to the vet, Sam bore a striking resemblance to Church after his resurrection, and Spike barely had the energy to eat(which, for him, is completely unprecedented--that cat never stops eating).  :(

So, the vet ran a test to see what this bug really is before we took the step of putting the whole crew on kitty Valtrex forever, and we'll find out soon if that's what we have to do.  In the meantime, it's doxycyclene all around for the next two weeks.  On the plus side, it's in liquid form, which is tons easier than shoving pills down a cat's throat.  On the minus side, "easier" is highly relative.  Glock takes it very well, but Sam (15#) and Spike (18#) have decided DO NOT WANT, so getting the meds into these critters is like grabbing a running weedwhacker by the busy end.  Mrs. Wraith and I are going to spend the next couple of weeks looking like we've gone a few rounds with Edward Scissorhands.


OK, so what does that have to do with faith? 

Well, we all know that terrible things happen in the world, to us and to others.  Things that seem unfair and unjust.  Things that hurt on a physical and/or emotional level.  Things that can cause us to cry out in despair and doubt that any just and merciful God exists, for if He did, why would He permit such suffering?

We ask this because of a lack of perspective. 

We're spending a good chunk of change and a lot of time and hassle on these little furballs, and our reward is to be sulked at, hidden from and clawed to pieces.  The cats hate the vet, hate their medicine, and the whole thing, to them, is a lot of frightening, senseless misery.  And we can't explain to them why it's happening.  They can't comprehend it.  It hurts us to see them suffer, but we know that the alternative is far worse...they don't.

Think about how much farther God's perspective is above ours than ours is above a cat's.  It's not that we aren't supposed to try to figure things out--after all, we were given free will and an intellect--but we have to realize that we cannot know everything, that some things will simply not fit into our mortal minds.  That's the part we have to take on faith:  that God is good, just and merciful, even though sometimes we end up having to take our medicine in one form or another. 

In the end, I believe all the questions we have, will be answered when we are reunited with our Creator.  And for my part, one of those questions will be:  "How can something this cute cause this much chaos?"