What the Cat in the Hat Teaches Us About Temptation - Part 6

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Hooray! The "cat" is finally gone! He packed up those "Things" and he took them away!

In case you have missed the previous Cat / Hat posts, we have been looking at the children's classic tale The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss to see what it has to teach us about temptation. What makes us vulnerable to it? What happens when we don't reject it at the start? How does giving in to begin with allow things to get out of control? Finally, we saw that all the warnings in the world cannot kick out the "cat" until we engage our will in the process. If you haven't read the other posts, you can find them by clicking these links.

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5

Let's see what happens now that the "cat" is gone.

Cleaning Up

OK, so the "cat" leaves, but there still is a major problem.  The house is a wreck.  Lives are in chaos. To quote the fish:

“This mess is so big and so deep and so tall.

We cannot pick it up. There is no way at all”

If we choose to let the “cat” stick around in our lives, we are ultimately responsible for the resulting mess.  Depending on how long we allowed the "cat" to stay, and how many "Things" he brought with him, that mess may be enormous. We may have lost much that is precious - family, job, health, dignity, joy, etc. We are responsible for the mess, yet we are unable to put things to rights on our own, no matter how hard we try.

At this point, Dr. Seuss’s story ceases to have any parallel whatsoever to dealing with temptation and it’s consequences in real life. In the story, the cat himself came back and cleaned up the mess he and his pals had made.  He cleaned it up so well that the kids’ mother had no idea anything had actually happened.  In real life, the Tempter NEVER comes back to clean up his messes. 

That is why we need Jesus.  He was, in fact, active all along.  He was speaking to us through the voice of the “fish” in our lives, through our own conscience and the warnings of others. He was the one backing us up when we finally took a stand to kick the “cat” out. He is the only one who can ultimately restore our lives, and bring order out of the wreckage.  

Some of the things we allowed the "cat" to destroy may indeed be gone forever. Other things that seemed to be a hopeless mess may be marvelously put right again. Either way, Jesus is more than able to restore us to a life of joy and peace in spite of those losses.

We cannot do it alone, although we do have to be actively engaged in the process.  No one can do it for us, although others may support us as restoration takes place.  We may be able to make some progress on our own, but ultimate, full restoration cannot happen apart from Him.  

The beauty of it is, Jesus is more than ready and willing to help us.  He constantly and earnestly invites us to allow Him to come in and begin the work of restoration that only He can do. 

 

So what have I learned from the Cat in the Hat and the Fish in the Pot?  Three things:

1. Listen to the “Fish” when he sounds the alarm that something is wrong.
2. Kick out the “Cat” whenever he shows up.  Decide ahead of time to do this.
3. Invite Jesus to live in the “house”. With Him there, we never face the "cat" alone.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

John 10:10

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What about you?

As we finish this series, have you learned anything new that might help you keep the "cat" from sticking around to begin with?

Do you find yourself longing for a "house" free of the "cat" and the chaos he causes? Have you looked at the mess and realized it is too big for you to clean up on your own? If you have questions about inviting Jesus in to restore your "house" and live there, please feel free to email me. My email address can be found on my About Me page. I'd be more than happy to hear from you.