Recently we got two kittens for my two little girls.  They are both boys, both orange, and both full of energy!  They brought with them some cute personality traits that we have very much enjoyed.  Hooper plays fetch with pipe cleaners all day long.  Tiger is the responsible one and meows when Hooper needs something.  It’s been a fun addition to our home…

…for the most part.

They also brought with them some challenges.  They keep us up at night with those same cute antics, my curtains are permanently pinned up due to being climbed, and they committed the ultimate sin by spending as much time as possible on the counters.

If you want to really see Mark’s blood boil, that will do it.  I’ve watched over the last two months as he has painstakingly tried to train them that the counters are off limits.  He just kept saying, “Why won’t they stop?  They clearly know it’s not OK, but THEY JUST KEEP DOING IT!”  Sounds like raising kids, doesn’t it?

The other day I walked in after the kids got on the bus and there was Hooper, on the counter.  He was licking the jelly on a bagel that Kennedy hadn’t finished.  He looked at me with a shaking guilt, but didn’t quit licking the jelly.  It was like a lightbulb went on in my head!

They know it’s wrong, but the benefit of getting something good on a plate or in the sink, is worth the risk and consequence of getting caught.

They just simply don’t care about the consequence because they want what they want and that’s all that matters.

Sounds a lot like our obedience issues with God as well, doesn’t it?  We know the boundaries, but if the pleasure is worth the consequence, we’ll risk it, too.

Mark and I’s only choice at this juncture is to remove the benefit from our kittens so that they realize there’s no point in disobeying because they will leave empty handed.  We now make sure there is not a scrap of goodness left anywhere they shouldn’t be.  I’m sure that our discipline plan will go much smoother from this point forward.

If you feel like God is taking away “good” things in your life, maybe you should evaluate it from a different perspective.  Maybe God is trying to help you learn something completely different, but all you see is Him taking away things that bring you pleasure.  My guess is that God would love to fill your life with more pleasure than you can imagine….just in the appropriate context.

So, get off the counters in your life.  Not because God just finally took away your jelly, but because you love Him and trust Him.  And then wait and see just how much God wants to bless you!