What's Good Enough for the Cat...

I wanted to share a story from the family archives.

Evangelism took on new meaning six years ago when Amy wanted to save her sister’s soul. Amy resembled Tigger from Winnie the Pooh—bubbly, bouncy, friendly, not to mention BOSSY and opinionated.

Amy had bossed her younger sister around for years. Lani good-naturedly complied until kindergarten when she finally learned to tell Amy, "No."

When Amy was seven she prayed with me to become a Christian.

Immediately Amy wanted Lani to follow suit. “Lani," Amy orderd. "You need to become a Christian so you’ll go to heaven when you die and not go to hell.” Now that isn’t exactly how I worded things, but that’s what she passed on.

Lani shot back, “I’m not going anywhere. I'm staying right here. I will not become a Christian!”

This bothered Amy, who for days tried unsuccessfully to persuade her little sister. Amy’s heart was in the right place but she needed to learn that you can’t nag somebody into the kingdom.


After church one Sunday Amy and Lani snuggled up in a big overstuffed chair with their very patient cat, Stripes. “What did you learn in cat church today, Stripes?” Amy asked.

Lani, pretending to be the cat, said, “I can’t tell.”

Amy told Stripes the importance of being good and telling the truth and being nice. She concluded by telling Stripes he should become a Christian so he could go to cat heaven because he sure didn’t want to go to cat hell.

I don’t know about Stripes, but Lani was finally convinced. Amy brought Lani to me so I could explain how to become a Christian. After Lani prayed, Amy beamed and said, “Now, we’re all Christians!”

…and following Him, Andrew found first his own brother, Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah.” John 1:40a,41