As we had our dinner, I shared to him about what Cat and Dog Christians are about. Cats have this concept of ‘I want God to bless me.’ Whereas Dogs have this concept of ‘I want to bless God.’ Cat and Dog Christians both look alike in churches.
Cat and Dog Christians see prayer in a different perspective. Both can pray the same prayers but have two separate motives. For example, “Dear God, bless our church please.” Inwardly, the Cat Christians could be praying “God we need a new facility, the parking lots are crammed, and put in on the heart of some rich people in our church to give until it hurts so that we’ll receive your blessings.” Cats pray for the things they desire, the things that will make life more comfortable.
Whereas the Dog Christians prayers could mean something like “Lord, give us the hunger to seek more of You and the passion to reach out to others.”
Cat Christians thank God for what He has done in their lives. Something like “Thank you for all the great things You have done. You have protected me, provided for me, and given me this and that!” Now there’s nothing wrong with that unless that’s all you are thinking about. It’s all about you, you and you.
Whereas Dog Christians worship God for who He is; amazing, magnificent, powerful, loving and so on.
Cats love to serve God when it is fun. Cat Christian calls God their Lord, as long as they are being blessed. Cats will keep playing the Christian game. They will go to church, they will say “Praise the Lord!” but in their hearts, they will only do what is comfortable for them. Whereas Dog Christians do the opposite of what the Cat Christian does, obedience even when they don’t want to.
Cat Christians only focus on the lovely side of God. Love, mercy and grace but never on God’s hatred of sin, wrath and judgement because it sounds unpleasant and uncomfortable to them. They think that God wouldn’t judge them because God is love. Cat Christians cannot comprehend that one day God is going to judge the whole world in full justice. They are so focused on God’s love that they have never taken time to realise that God hates their sin.
It’s like:
“Lord, we don’t You in our government because we separated the government from You.”
“Lord, we don’t want You in our schools because children can’t pray there. There is a time for studies and a time for You.”
“Lord we don’t want You to interfere in our lives but as long You answer our prayers and bless us.”
“But dear Lord, the SMRT trains are arriving too slowly, taxi fares are expensive, the government is not doing their job, HDB prices are high, and our salaries are low. So please do something about it, bless us and protect us.”
Cat Christians only want God’s blessings and protection and not God’s laws. Cat Christians think that God would never want any hardships or harm to come to them.
You see, Cat Christians have this idea of rationalising their thoughts. For example, God says “Don’t buy such a fanciful car and a big house.” The Cat Christians straight away rationalise their words by saying, “Lord, I must have heard your voice wrongly. I saw how you blessed Abraham; I saw how you blessed David and Solomon, so Lord, I am going to assume that you want to bless me in the same way! Therefore in the name of Jesus, I reject Satan’s attempt to prevent me from enjoying it and claim by faith this nicer car and bigger house.” Cat Christians have this feel good theology. Whatever God can do to make them feel good, they will embrace. All they want from Christianity on earth is a safe, comfortable Christian life and then make it to heaven.
Many Christians have this filtering process going on in their minds and only focus on memorising verses that make them feel good. Verses like Psalm 103: 11-13
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him
But ask a Cat Christian if they ever memorised 1 Peter 2:18, which talks about being called to suffer. They will answer, “No. I have been called to suffer? Are you sure?”
Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.
Why don’t Cat Christians memorise these verses? It’s because these verses doesn’t make them feel good. As Cat Christians do this, they begin to selectively listen to God’s teachings and miss the whole point of it. Cat Christians think that God is happy when they are happy, but God will not justify sin just because it makes someone happy.
The things that are being said by the author in the book spoke what my heart has been trying to utter this whole year. Most Christians just can’t accept suffering. They want more of God’s blessings. When was the last time we are being warned from Hell? Jesus talks about it but we rarely would speak about it, for fear of offending men. But the truth is hell is real and God is not here to play games. Our souls are at stake here and it is not wise to gamble our souls. Christianity is not about what God can bring you. Christianity is not about being happy, it’s about being holy.
If Jesus talks so much on how much we are going to suffer on Earth, how much tribulations we will encounter in life, how we need to strive for holiness and seeking the kingdom of God, how we need to forsake all to seek after God, then why do we assume that God wants us to have these rosy lives we deserve to have on Earth? God didn't promise a comfortable life on Earth, He promised to be with us till the end!
Cat and Dog Christians interpret the scriptures differently. They only want the good side of what God brings to people.
Cat Christians think that God would never ask any believer to suffer the sufferings of Job, the suffering of Stephen being stoned to death, or even the sufferings of Joseph whom his siblings sold him as a slave.
Like the story of Job, Cat Christians would only summarize the story that Job had double portion of blessings of God, because he trusted in God. Full stop. End of story.
But then, why don't we ever relate to Job's kids? That's the whole point. Why do we always relate to the one who comes out alive in the end? Do God love Job's kids as much as Job? Yes! Did God have a plan for Job's kids lives? Yes! What was it then? It is God plan to reveal His glory in different ways, by allowing the Job's kids to die early so that God could reveal His own glory through Job! Cat Christians have a difficulty comprehending this issue. Sure enough, it doesn't seem fair, but it's about God, it's about His glory.
How many times have we listen to people's prayer requests on being alive and to have good health? If there is healing, then they praise God and give Him great glory. Why? Because God did what He was supposed to do. He healed the person. "He is faithful," they cry. But without realising it, what they are saying is that God is faithful to them, He did what they expected Him to do, as if God is supposed to bow down to us. God is under no obligation to be faithful to our expectations; God is only required to be faithful to Himself, and Cat Christians have trouble with that.
I then spent 3 hours talking to Jonjoe that I had a difficult, hard time to accept that life is never going to be the same again. But then, the book reminded me of how unfair life might be, how everything is terrible, I still need to be rooted to God.
It's true that the whole year was like "hell" to me.
My mom’s gone and that’s it.
No one knows what I went through on that night when my mother was in the hospital.
No one knows what spiritual/mental struggles I went through during the rituals of my mom’s funeral.
No one knows what I went through the next day after my mom’s cremation.
No one knows how much my dad is still struggling.
No one knows how much jealousy I went and still going through just to see my friends in church of my same age able to worship God and talk about how God is so good in their lives.
No one knows what I am struggling through at home.
No one knows exactly how much I struggled in my spiritual walk with God.
People just think that I am okay and that’s what they would want to think.
You see the world desires after 3 things. They are love, understanding and forgiveness. When the world can’t seem to find it, they used the worldly things to substitute it. That’s why it’s so important for us as Christians to listen to the burdens of others, but we rarely do it. Because of the culture we live in! We just don’t have the time to spend for others to listen to them!
People are afraid to talk to me about my mother, for fear that they are bringing back the unpleasant stuffs and being placed in an awkward situation. I've learned to carry on just fine. I don’t get upset when people ask me about my mom, or when I have to tell them that she died. I always hear the “I’m so sorry to hear this” and “I’m sorry I brought it up”. You know I am more than happy when someone brings her up! Sometimes, I wish I could just sit and talk about her, tell about what a great woman she was. And you know I could, I could talk about her for hours, and I could tell you the stories I remember and the things I know about her or the things she done for me. It bothers me that I'll probably never see my mother or be in any kind of contact with her again.
No matter where I go, I would see parents with their children together, especially with their mothers around. Whether it be the son is 40 years old and the mother 70, or the son is 17 and the mother 40, or the son is 6 and the mother in her 30′s, the relationship is something you cannot replace. I watch how mothers take care of their children, watch them joke around, watch them yell, watch them play, watch them love and care, it’s something I yearn back for.
I wish more than anything just to have my mother back. It hurts me when I hear people saying how they hate their mothers because they got into a fight or because their mothers may act psycho or maybe their mothers just have problems. You need to understand that no one is here forever. Just imagine if your mom or dad died tomorrow. What would you do? It is so important to appreciate what you have and love what you got while it is still on this very earth, because once it’s gone, chances are you aren't going to see them again for a long time, or maybe forever.
Sure enough, I have a hard time dealing with all these. It’s really too much to bear. It’s not fair. I am having a lot of trouble comprehending that she is really dead. I get so angry and upset with God most of the time, almost to the point where I do not like Him at all.
My youth pastor says it’s ok to be angry with God but I cannot see how that can be true. It’s not fair. I have never really asked God for anything out of life for myself, but for salvation of my parents and more of Him. But I am not sure whether I can believe in God who answers my prayers anymore. I pray that God will heal my mother, but when the time I needed Him, He ignored me. I feel that I cannot even talk to Him. To be honest, I am not sure I ever want to. What is the point, if God is not going to listen and respond to me? I have seen God healed people, I have heard about people with terminal cancer got healed because of the power of prayer.
God did so many miracles for others but one time I asked Him to do one for me, He says no. Why not help my family? My mom’s miserable and it’s not fair for her life and my dad’s life to be forever screwed up because God did not answer the prayers of mine that I was praying so hard. God ignored me and He did not care. Throughout the months, I find my faith in God shaky. Some of it has to do with my logical mind questioning the validity of the many claims the church has made, some is due in no small part to the many trials I have been through recently and it makes me wonder if everything I believe in my whole life was for nothing. Then I would feel so guilty for not believing in my Saviour...
But then again, the thing is that, it's tough and difficult,
I have to be okay that life is going to be unfair, but God is fair.
I have to be okay that my friends in church can’t understand why I am such a melancholic person and why I am behaving in such a way.
I have to be okay that my mom is going to hell. Its hard truth, but I just have to be okay with it.
I tried; I kept trying again and again, to come back to God.
It was tough, extremely tough to the point I felt everything I had done was futile, but then I knew I need to just keep holding on a little longer.
I don’t know what kept me going until now. Is it the Holy Spirit? Could be, but I am so afraid; afraid that I would stray away from the Lord one day.
I think I am still holding on because I know God is going to judge me one day.
I do not want to hear the words of Jesus on that day saying “Depart from Me, for I never knew you, you worker of iniquity!”
I learnt in life that no one is really going to care about you in life except God. What I have learnt is that when you have less, you will value it more.
I am still struggling to live as a Dog Christian, and many times there will always be a struggle of wanting to be like a Cat Christian. The book spoke to me so personally that of all things that happened in my life, I need to understand that God's glory is still the highest priority in my life. Although it's unfair, I have to be okay with it. I have to accept my life is to radiate God's glory.
You see, most of us are like Cat Christians, we can be happy when God is blessing our parents, our lives, when we live in nice cosy apartments, when we are in decent universities or schools, have good grades, have a good job, can do our shopping, have our latest hand phones and iPads, have our driving licenses, have a car, have good looks, have good grades, when the bus comes on time, we get what we want, and the list goes on, almost to the point where as if our only trouble is complaining how can the government improve our lives better by making the trains frequency increase, lowering the taxi fares and taxes. Sure enough God is always good in times like this, where Christians can keep shouting “Hallelujah! Praise God! Praise God!”
They do whatever they can to manipulate God to meet their desires so that their life can be more comfortable, rosy, lovely and then say "God is so good to me!" We live in a world that convinces us that we deserve a better life, a life that it's all about us!
But when the pain comes, and I mean real pain and suffering, when our parents are knocked down by a drunk driver and they died, when tsunami and earthquakes happen, when robbery and murder takes place, somehow, at the back of peoples' minds, God never seems to be good at that point. Some of us dare not even think of such things but then, how many of us can then still declare the cliches we always used to say in Church, “All the time, God is good, and God is good, all the time."
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