New adventures for my boys

When I learned I would not be able to take my cats with me to the Refuge I asked the Lord, "You would ask me to give up my cats?".  Anyone that knows me knows I love my boys. The Lord reminded me of the parable of the rich young ruler found in all three of the gospels at Matthew 19:16-30; Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-30.

Here is Luke's version of events:

And a certain ruler asked Him, saying, Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
And Jesus said to him, Why do you call Me good? None is good except One, God.
You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and your mother.
And he said, I have kept all these from my youth up.
And when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, Yet you lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you shall have treasure in Heaven. And come, follow Me.
And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful, for he was very rich.
And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, He said, How hardly those having riches shall enter into the kingdom of God!
For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye than for a rich one to enter into the kingdom of God.
And the ones who heard said, And who can be saved?
And He said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
And Peter said, Lo, we have left all and have followed You.
And He said to them, Truly I say to you, There is no one who has left house, or parents, or brothers, or wife, or children for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and, in the world to come everlasting life.

This parable is not just about money. It's about loving the things of this world more than Jesus.  He couldn't ask me to give up lots of money because I don't have it to give up!  He was asking me if I loved my cats more than I love Him.  I call them my cats but the truth of the matter is they are His cats anyway.  He just gave them to me to love and enjoy and care for for a while.  He owns everything.  He made them, they are His. 
 
So I've prayed and asked Him to show me where they need to be.  I've asked Him to give them a good home where they will be cared for and not harmed.  A home they will flourish in and be happier in than they have been with me.  I am trusting Him to do that.  After all, He knows everyone involved better than I ever can.
 
Apparently they need a dad.  A man in my church family wants them.  He is not even a cat person.  I don't think he's ever had cats.  I didn't even take him seriously at first.  He and his son had been praying for a dog.  They love dogs.  Apparently God wants to expand their horizons to include cats. God warmed him up with a kitten a couple of weeks ago and when I take the boys to him tomorrow he will have gone from zero to 3 cats with blazing speed.  And he will have all the life stages of a cat going on; a kitten, a four year old and a ten year old.

I've been telling them they are about to have new adventures and make new friends.  I've told them they are heading to the bachelor pad and will get to hang out with guys and do manly things.  (whatever that is and I'm not sure I really want to know)  They just look at me as though I am speaking a foreign language.  Sometimes it is slow work teaching cats new words.

If you had told me three months ago that not only would I give my cats away but it would be to someone with no cat experience I would have laughed you out of town and called you crazy.  Go figure!  God has such a sense of humor!

Please say a prayer that all of us make a smooth transition. I pray their new human will not be overwhelmed and Hobo will open up to him and trust him.  I pray that all three of the cats will soon be BFFs in a pile, purring.

His girl,
AM