A Soapy Situation

Love prospers when a fault is forgiven,
but dwelling on it separates close friends.

JENNIE SURVEYED the supplies she had collected.

• Shampoo—check.
• Hose—check.
• Large galvanized tub—check.
• Cat—check.

She looked at her cat DJ—her first real pet—lying in a sunny spot on the brick walkway. Jennie still missed her best friend, Darcy, terribly, but getting to keep the outdoor cat the two of them had rescued together made Darcy’s move a little more tolerable. The day after Darcy’s family left in their U-Haul, Jennie bought a new set of bowls for DJ. Two days later she bought a little outdoor cushion for the cat to sleep on. And a week after that, Jennie’s backyard was scattered with cat toys—none of which DJ ever touched. Much to the dismay of Jennie’s mom, DJ seemed to prefer actual rodents to the catnip-stuffed kind. But Jennie loved DJ, and she wanted the full pet-owner experience, which in her mind meant giving her cat a bath.

All of Jennie’s friends with dogs talked about giving their pooches baths. Well, DJ’s fur is like a dog’s. So she must need a bath too, Jennie reasoned.

Jennie flipped open the top of the shampoo bottle. She loved the smell of her mom’s Prell shampoo. Maybe if DJ smells like Mom, it will make Mom less allergic to her. It was a foolproof plan in Jennie’s preteen mind.

DJ looked suspiciously at the large tub in the grass.

Should I pick her up and put her in the tub? Jennie wondered, remembering the scratches DJ gave her the last time she tried to pick up the cat. She had learned the hard way that DJ wasn’t much of a snuggler.

Jennie opted for good old-fashioned bribery. She poured half a bag of treats into the bottom of the metal tub and waited. It only took a minute for DJ to rise from her half-hearted slumber and launch herself into the tub. As the cat eagerly devoured the treats, Jennie sprayed her with a gentle stream of water. DJ flicked her ears and tail in displeasure, but she continued to concentrate on the tuna-flavored snack feast.

“Aren’t baths fun?” Jennie asked, as she squeezed a half-dollar sized amount of Prell on her palm and rubbed her hands together. As soon as she placed her hands on DJ, there was an instantaneous reaction. DJ’s head whipped to the left, then to the right. Jennie had just begun to work the shampoo into a rich lather when DJ let out a menacing sound so loud and unnerving that Jennie’s hands froze in midair. DJ leapt from the tub and took off in a sudsy blur—leaving a trail of white foam in her wake.

What did I do wrong? Why did DJ growl at me? Where did she go? Will she ever come back?

As Jennie got up to follow the sudsy evidence, her mom rounded the corner.

“What in the world are you—Is that my shampoo?” her mom asked in alarm.

Jennie dissolved into tears as she explained the ordeal.

“I just wanted to take such good care of her that she would never want to leave me,” Jennie hiccupped between tears. “But now she’s run away and . . . what if she never comes back?”

Jennie’s mom hugged her tightly.

“I think you just need to give her some time. Keep putting food out for her, and I’m certain she’ll come back.”

Jennie wanted to believe her mom, but she hadn’t heard the awful sound that had erupted from DJ. Jennie spent the day cleaning out the soggy treats from the tub and hosing the Prell off the brick walkway. The next day, it rained. But when the sun came out in the afternoon Jennie scattered treats around the backyard. On the third day she sat in the backyard for hours, praying, crying, and missing her cat—and her best friend.

“Darcy would have known a bath wasn’t a good idea,” Jennie mumbled.

As she pulled at a tall blade of grass, she heard the unmistakable sound of a cat meowing. She peered in the direction of the sound. A moment later a dry and very clean-looking DJ emerged from the bushes.

Jennie sat as still as she could, determined not to spook the cat. Several minutes passed, but DJ eventually began to walk toward Jennie, eyeing her warily. After deducing there was no danger of another bath, DJ—who did smell an awful lot like Jennie’s mom—rubbed Jennie’s side, then curled up beside her.

“Thanks for coming back,” Jennie whispered. “I’m sorry there was so much soap to lick off.”

DJ purred contentedly as Jennie stroked her back. And in that moment Jennie experienced the precious gift of forgiveness.

PAWS & PONDER . . .

What does forgiveness mean to you? Why are understanding and discernment key parts of forgiveness? Is there someone you need to extend forgiveness to? Is there someone whose forgiveness you need to seek? What steps might you take toward forgiveness today?

Paws & Pray

God, because you have forgiven me, I know I am called to forgive others. And yet forgiveness isn’t always as easy as saying a few words. Please grant me the understanding, discernment, and resolve to offer forgiveness to those who have wronged me—and to seek forgiveness from those I have wronged. I don’t want a relationship to end because I failed to take the necessary steps. Show me how to have a forgiving heart toward everyone in my life.