-------Resurrection-------

In the summer of 2009, my wife and I got an offer to move into a nicer house paying less money than we were in the house we were living in. Along with this offer was a male black kitten. I named the cat "Blackhawk" after a favorite comic book character of mine when I was growing up.

Due to the expense of moving and other things, we could not afford to get this cat neutered. Our new home is on a hill with a large wooded lot full of squirrels and rabbits between the house and the highway, and an almost completely fenced in back yard, and a road with very little traffic on i.

Our intentions was to keep the cat inside the house but as "Blackhawk" got older, it would spray inside the house marking its territory. This did not go over well with my wife. So we began to let the cat out at night and it would always want back in at least by the morning.

On Saturday March 2, we let the cat out to mark its territory outside of our home. I tried to get it back in before bed but it was nowhere around. Upon awakening the next morning I went to check if the cat wanted in. It was nowhere around. I feared something bad had befallen our beloved pet.

We went to church and came back home. Still no cat. We went out to eat at Captain D's using one of the coupons we get in the mail for 2 3-piece fish dinners, had a good meal, and on the way back home, I noticed a black cat lying on the side of the road about one mile from our house. I thought, "Oh no."

I turned around, found a place to park our car, and went to investigate. The cats jaw had been smashed in from the impact of a moving vehicle. Our cat has a white spot underneath its neck and above its front legs, This cat had that same white spot. Our cat was a male. I checked to see if the dead cat was a male. It was. My heart sank. A pet I had grown to be fond of was now dead and I blamed myself for not taking better care of it.

However, I did wonder why it was so far from our house. I picked up the dead cat by the tail and put it in the trunk of our car. I was going to give it a Christian burial and that is exactly what I did. I was in a down and depressed mood all afternoon and went for a walk just to get away from everything for awhile.

That night my mother called just to catch up on things. My 77 year old mother is a cat lover and I told her the sad news. We talked for awhile and was getting close to wrapping up the phone call when I opened the front door to see if it was raining or not. As soon as I opened the door, I heard a "meow" and was astonished to see "Blackhawk" wanting back in the house.

Thoughts of the Twilight Zone and Pet Sematary went through my head before I realized what I had done. I had buried the wrong cat!

My mother was still on the phone when this happened. She was happy for me, I was happy, and I grabbed the cat and took it to the bathroom where my wife was taking a shower. I had to tell her the good news. Our cat was alive!

An animal I thought I would never see again until maybe the afterlife was alive! What had been a very sad day had now turned into one of great joy!

Then I realized, this was a taste of what would it be like on the resurrection day. There have been many people in my life whom I have liked and loved who are now gone. Many of them had a saving relationship with Jesus Christ so I know I will see them again one day and the joy will be even greater than what I experienced with seeing my beloved pet alive.

We still let the cat out at night and it still comes home in the morning. I think he has found a friend at our neighbor's house.

I conclude with the words of comfort that Paul gave us concerning the resurrection, "13. But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 15. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18. Therefore comfort one another with these words." 1 Thessalonians Chapter 4.

There is a resurrection day for all whose faith is in Christ. What a joyful day that will be. I hope to see you there.