A Long Journey Home

“For this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” [Luke 15:24]

There are no creatures on Earth quite like cats. Today there are about 100 distinct breeds of the domestic cat. Cats can hear ultrasound and are able to produce over one hundred vocal sounds, while dogs can only produce about ten. In spite of their keen vision, cats cannot see directly under their noses. This is why they cannot seem to find the tidbits on the floor after they eat. And just like fingerprints, every cat’s nose pad has a unique pattern.

Cats are one of the sleepiest of all mammals. They spend between 14 to 16 hours each day sleeping. That means a seven-year-old cat has only been awake for two years of its life! And 30 percent of their waking hours are spent grooming themselves. A cat in South Wales named Lucy has become the oldest ever, living to 39 years old. That’s the equivalent to 172 human years, more than double the average life expectancy. Neutering a cat extends its life span by two or three years.

Like birds, cats have an incredible homing ability that uses their biological clock, the angle of the sun, and the earth’s magnetic field. A cat taken far from its home can somehow find its way back. Sixteenyear-old Shaun Philips and his father, Ken, lost their cat Silky about 200 miles north of Brisbane, Australia. That was in the summer of 1977. On March 28, 1978, Silky turned up at Mr. Philips’ house in a suburb of Melbourne. According to his owner, “He was as thin as a wisp and stank to high heaven.” Silky had traveled 1,472 miles to get home.

Have you ever felt like you’ve wandered too far from God to find your way back? Jacob felt that way one lonely night while running away from home to escape his brother’s rage. He had deceived his father to get the birthright and was plagued with guilt. Did God still love him?

As he lay on the ground sleeping, God revealed Himself in a dream. Jacob saw a ladder stretching between heaven and Earth with angels going up and down. Notice these comforting words from God to Jacob: “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” (Genesis 28:15).

God had not forgotten Jacob. No matter how far away you wander from the Lord, He can bring you back home.