Toilet Bowl Water

My cat likes to drink from the toilet bowl. I don't know why. I've never quite understood it. It's not that we don't give her fresh water to drink. In fact, there are days when she follows me into the laundry room and watches me fill her bowl with fresh water, and then goes to the bathroom and begs me to open the toilet lid – and then fusses at me when I don't.

It all makes me want to look at her and say, “Don't you get it?!” I mean, come on – toilet water? Water bowl water is clean and good. It's got to taste better, doesn't it? At the very least, it's healthier even if it doesn't taste as good. It just doesn't make any sense!

I never would do such a thing. No, never. I always prefer the things that are best for me.

After all, I always choose a handful of healthy raw carrots over a stack of greasy potato chips when I'm in a snacky mood, right?

I always choose a hard, fast walk over curling up on the couch in front of a funny tv show, right?

I always choose to do things God's way instead of the world's, right?

Ouch.

I wonder how many times the Lord looks at me and asks why I'm drinking out of the toilet of this world when He offers the living water of heaven. I know I do it many, many, many times. He has such good things for me, but I am so convinced that I am giving up something so good if I choose His way instead of the world's. He, on the other hand, sees how absolutely nasty the things of this world are for me.

It doesn't take much for me to provide a clean bowl of water to my cat. But, God, the Almighty Creator of the universe went to great lengths to make the things of heaven accessible to me. He gave up His only Son to die a horrible death and take upon Himself all of the nastiness of this world. Somehow – I wonder if even in heaven I will grasp how – that sacrifice freed me from having to settle for the nastiness and bestowed upon me the privilege of being heir to everything that rightfully belonged to His Son.

And yet on a daily basis I reject it for the toilet bowl of this earth. When will I learn?

Oh that starting this day, this hour, this very moment I would begin to crave the things of God increasingly more than I crave the things of this earth. Oh that I would thirst for heavenly water instead of this toilet bowl.