Sandy Warner ~ ~ swauthor777@usa.net ~ ~ www.thequickenedword.com


THE CALLY STORY

 

The following hilarious and true story happened to me in 1994. The spiritual parable is very relevant right now as we are preparing to crossover Jordan and move into our new land of promise.

 

 

 

THE CALLY STORY

Our cat Cally had kittens who are now 5 months old and I just found out that cute little boy kitties can impregnate little girl at this age. Uh oh… I also heard of a good family willing to adopt them if we have them ‘fixed.’

 

Time has run out and these little furballs are now scheduled for surgery. They are supposed to fast 12 hours before surgery so two bowls have mysteriously disappeared. Oops, scratch that idea. Normally, mother cats wean their babies at about 6 weeks but someone forgot to tell Cally. I am looking out the window, and those precious little bundles are nursing! Try again...

 

Cally is now in exile away from her babies, food and water. The babies are crying at her shed door, and she is crying at them. It’s going to be a long night.

 

Well it was. I didn't sleep hardly at all last night as every dog in the neighborhood was barking and I kept thinking about the kittens. This morning I quietly squeeze through the shed door so Cally won’t dash out. I manage to get her in the carrier and when I open the door the kittens scurry to her cage and they all cry at once. Cally is now crying and the kittens are alerted.

 

We pick up the kittens and put them in the box. But before we can get the lid down, we have lost one. No, make that two. Try again. And again. This is crazy, we are chasing kittens in every direction! After 5 scampering attempts, we simply can not entice them to come to us. These are now very educated cats. Suddenly two bowls mysteriously appear. They run to the food. We got em'.

 

Now we are all packed in the jeep and it sounds like a traveling cat zoo. Cally is howling. She is banging her head and body at the door, she scratches to no avail. A frightened baby pops her head through the little hole in the box. Her eyes are literally bugging and she squeaks. By the time I stop on the freeway shoulder, she has managed to stretch the hole and get her stomach stuck. She is dangling half way in and half way out but at least her eyes are back in her sockets and she has a hardy meow. I carefully tug and pull her out the hole without lifting the lid, lest I have kittens making a wild escape. Now Cally’s window is snug against the box’s enlarged hole and maybe they can comfort one another by being close. I drive into the clinic, harried and feeling like I had lived a full day and it is only 7:00 AM.

 

Who is that lady with the clipboard and why is she waiting for me in the parking lot? "Excuse me, are you Mrs. Warner?" I have this bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. "Yes, I have cats scheduled for surgery." "I am very sorry Mrs. Warner but we are going to have to cancel and reschedule. I tried calling you, but you had already left." "Oh no — I have to go through the whole thing again....this time with educated cats!"

On the way home I am thinking about the scriptural principal of something being repeated twice. (Gen 41:32) I know this is a God story. "Lord what are You trying to tell me?"

 

This next appointment is vital because their new owners are coming into town next week. I am sure they will love living on a farm, with all the freedom and fun any cat would want. No matter what, I have to keep this appointment!

 

Well, it is now once again the night before surgery. Not a creature is stirring, and especially not even a mouse. We have no mice. I have locked Cally and her kittens in together. It’s better to nurse and have surgery, then not at all. I think I have slept, but that clock says 4:45 AM. I am wide awake wondering how the little family is doing. Maybe I should separate them into the cat carrier since 4 hours of no food is better than none at all. It’s dark and cold outside, but I am determined to follow through on this appointment. I rush out in bare feet and pajamas and jump into the shed, slamming the door behind me. The kitties are contentedly sleeping next to Cally! I separate the sleepy little furballs from her and place THEM in the cat carrier. It was so easy! All is perfect! Now I can go back to bed and get warm.

 

I reach for the latch on the shed door and it is gone. The door won't open! The little wire thing that is attached to the latch on the outside of the door is missing. It had fallen off when I slammed the door. I am trapped inside the dark shed with Cally and her kittens, and I have this strange knowing that God is definitely speaking to me. This story isn’t just some parable that the Lord is wanting to tell me, He is talking to me about ME. It’s me in this shed.

 

I am now in exile, in a cage with all the tools for pruning anyone could ever want. I sit down on an ice chest and take note of what I have. 2 handsaws, electric pruners with electrical cord and outlets intact, an ax, and other misc. items. I push a wire through the little hole where the missing wire used to be. I put a metal tent stake through it, I put a stick through it. Nope, I’m definitely trapped.

 

OK, my son's alarm is set for 7:00 and I am supposed to leave at 7:00. I don’t know if he will even know I have not left the house when he wakes. Will he realize the car is still in the driveway? He probably won’t make the connection since it’s there every morning. My beloved husband gets up much later depending on what time he finally falls asleep. I could ax my way through the door, but he would really be upset having to build a new door. It’s 4:45 AM so what else is there to do? I can lay the camping tarp on the floor, unroll the sleeping mattress, use 2 life jackets for my pillow and unfold a plastic tablecloth for my blanket. Sounds good to me. I am now camping out on the floor of our shed in the dark, surrounded by purring kittens. I start to laugh. "OK Lord, You got me. Do you have anything You would like to say to me?"

 

I must have snoozed some because I just heard the thunk of the newspaper in our driveway. I wildly shake and kick the door. "Help me, can you HELP me? I'm stuck in here!" I am yelling like my life depends upon it — I still want to make that appointment. Silence. Nothing. He must have thrown it from the street and not heard a thing. Back to camping. Let’s see, the newspaper usually comes about 6:30 AM. I wonder how much longer I get to stay in here!

 

It’s about 7 AM and I hear footsteps coming up the sidewalk, stopping in front of the shed. Silence. "Is someone out there?" "Yes" "Could you PLEASE open this door, I am stuck inside." "Uh, yes." Door opens. A pale and scared paper boy is staring at me. "Are you all right?" "Yes, I accidentally locked my self inside, because the little wire thing fell out of the hole." He is looking at me like I am a little crazy standing there in my pajamas. I don’t blame him a bit. I am so happy to be out and besides that, I don’t have the time to worry about it — I have an appointment to make. He is rambling on as he walks away, "I wasn’t sure what I’d find behind this door, and I went to get help. I wasn’t sure about calling the police. And someone drove me back here." "Well Thank you VERY much for coming and helping me. I really appreciated it!"

 

Cally is now outside happily eating at the food dishes. At this point I don’t care how much she has eaten, but back in the shed she goes. I need a clean shower and to get warm after camping. "Ding dong, ding dong, ding dong!" The door bell is ringing incessantly at 7 AM and I am dripping wet. "Sonshine, please wake up and answer the door. Don't be upset, it may be the police. I was locked in the shed and the paper boy rescued me. Tell them I'll be out in a minute." My son answers the door in a stupor. Two sheriffs question him. "We heard there was a disturbance. Was there a fight? Is everything all right?" "Yeah, my Mom just locked herself in the shed." They grin. In my robe and wet hair I come to the door. "I accidentally locked my self inside the shed, because the little wire thingy that is attached to the latch fell out of the hole." I don't know if they knew whether I was talking straight or not. I don't know that I was. My face is turning bright red.

Totally mortified that the sheriffs had come to our door, I realize I don’t have time to think about that now. I have just enough time to eat a bowl of cereal, catch Cally and stuff everyone in the car.

 

I go outside, jump into the shed and my son is right behind me. SLAM! He has just slammed the door shut... I AM LAUGHING HYSTERICALLY. I roar. I laugh so hard I am crying. I am holding my stomach, with hilarious tears rolling down my cheeks. All I can think of is this thing is repeated twice, it is of the Lord. Two times for the cats, two times for me.

 

"Mom you are scaring me, you are hysterical!" "Well if you had gone through what I have gone through with these cats, you would be hysterical too!" I am laughing even harder while watching my son frantically take inventory of everything in the shed and do exactly the same things I had tried. He didn't think it was funny at all.

 

Finally, I decide to forget my husband having to build a new door, I AM NOT GOING TO MISS THIS APPOINTMENT. The only way those cats will have their new home next week, is if they are fixed. We have run out of time. Warning, crazy women with ax in hand. Slam, thud, pow, a chip at a time. 20 minutes of repeated blows with the bull’s eye changing upon each swing. Sweat, panting... My son takes a few swings and hands it back. I take a few then give it back to him. I am determined to get out of there.

 

Footsteps. We hear footsteps! The door opens and a very undressed puffy eyed husband looks incredulously at me. My normally very kind and gracious husband appears to be quite perturbed. He grumpily says he just got to sleep at 4 o'clock and what are we doing axing the door? "Well excuuuussssseee me!" I wasn't mad until then. Now I am mad. I march out, rescue Cally, who is now enjoying a banquet and stuff her and the kitties in the car. Normally-kind-and-gracious husband is standing at the door in his altogether, muttering, "May I go back to sleep now?" That made me madder. Here I had just been through world war 3 and all he can think about was that we disturbed him? I am so mad I don’t even say goodbye to my son. I smolder all the way to the appointment.

 

I am now home and my back-to-being very kind and gracious husband reminds me that last night he had recommended that I bang on the shed door loudly to scare the cats, so they would hide and not try to run out as soon as I opened the door. I am feeling very humble for my anger. He thought all we were doing was scaring the cats with all that noise and wondered why we were inside with the ax! I guess our neighbors came by also, since they heard the ax. What a day.

 

Surgery went fine, in spite of their eating. When I picked up the cats, they told me to put them in a dark and quiet place. I left them in the shed with the door slightly open knowing they would come out when they were ready. But instead of sleeping, the journey had stimulated them and they wobbled out the door totally drunk! You never saw such precious sights as Cally and these little creatures trying to find their legs. Looking cross-eyed and with rubber legs they were wandering around bumping into each other. Their brother, cold sober with no surgery, hisses and runs away. When they found their mother, Cally immediately weaned her babies, having no desire whatsoever to be touched and they were all planted in their new home one week later.

 

INTERPRETATION

Over the past 10-20 years God has had a plan to bring us into a place of enlargement and be lovingly adopted into a new life. This is known as coming out of the wilderness and crossing over into the land of promises. (Deut 1: 5-8) However, pruning or surgery needed to take place in our carnal flesh, in order for this adoption to take place. (Josh 5:7)

 

In preparation for surgery, some time in the last 10-20 years we were placed in exile - separated from our promises (2 Chron 6: 36-39), went through a personal famine of hearing and experiencing Him (Amos 8:11), were spiritually put to sleep in dark circumstances with dogs howling outside (Psa 35), and confined to a circumstantial cage with hand saws, pruning sheers and axes looming over our heads! (Isa 45:9)

This was a dark place where the enemy was allowed access, confined to the limits of using isolation, blindness, outside intimidation, cold and uncomfortable circumstances and unrest. We were quite miserable in those God-allowed circumstances, and with inevitable surgery looming in the future, we became master escape artists, thinking we had escaped the enemy, when in reality we were running from God and His circumcising our heart and its desires for carnality. (Col 2: 11-15)

 

During our many attempts to escape the inevitable, time ran out. Shepherds of the day were still hand feeding the milk of the Word. They were doing all the work and their children were growing up passive and inactive. Their ‘crop’ was close to having adult sized bodies but were still nursing. (I Cor 3:2) It was time to learn to hunt for themselves, find their own sustenance in the Lord, and become active participants in the maintenance of an enlarged territory. (Heb 5:12)

 

These children were in danger of passing on family sins of unpruned flesh if they spread their seed (fruit) prior to surgery. Through out the years between several blunders of back-in-the-cage syndrome, children and shepherds were in prison using battling axes to war their way out. Time had run out and God sent messengers to rescue all with the good news of coming glory just in time to make the appointment with Gilgal. (Josh 4:18-19)

 

This caused all kinds of commotion. Judgment (the law) knocked on the door to check things out. We were sent to get cleaned up and dressed for a new day. (1 Pet 4:17) Neighbors heard the noise and wondered. And after one last blunder, Big Father God - whom we have known as kind and gracious, shows up with a stern look on His face and opens the door. We come out of the cage in a mass of tangled emotions. Ouch. It’s time for surgery. (Josh 5:2)

 

The beautiful part of this story, is that after He cuts away the flesh and even though recovery hurts, if we wake up early enough, we will still be intoxicated with His Presence! The joy of His Presence helps alleviate the pain of our sinful nature when we displease Him. He promises to roll away the shame and reproach caused from our carnal pleasures. (Josh 5:8,9)

 

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CONCLUSION

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{Words to Ponder are summaries of His quickened Words}

 

WORD TO PONDER: PREPARATION FOR CIRCUMCISION

 

My precious one, time has run out. I AM bringing you into the green land of fulfilled promises. You were hand fed the milk of My Word well passed your time. Milk alone will not sustain you in the new land I have prepared. You must learn to hunt, to seek Me for your daily portion.

 

Exile, separation and famine of hearing has driven you to Me. I know how hard this has been for you. It has felt like tough love. I have used all that has come into your life for good and someday you will know them all as good gifts. I have used these as tools to awaken a desperation deep enough to move you forward into maturity.

 

Precious, I know how deeply your flesh cries out for comfort, and how desperately you try to give solace to unfulfilled love. Please understand that carnal appetites bring temporal pleasure, but ultimately they bring death. The worldly appetites will never satisfy or replace your deep need for fellowship with Me. To feed them will only leave you more and more empty and driven. You can not take these with you into this new land of bountiful promise.

 

Unpruned flesh would greatly multiply if planted in this new land. Captivity to worldly appetite will place you on trial before the face of your enemies who are the giants of accusation. Your flesh must be cut back, for I AM a jealous Maker. Unholy appetites for the world must go. Gilgal is of utmost importance for your safety and welfare as I move you forward into your promised land. If you cry out to Me, I will give you the will and the grace to cut back your flesh. I will grant you the joy of My intoxicating Presence and make the operation as painless as possible.

 

Josh 5:8-9 NKJV

So it was, when they had finished circumcising all the people, that they stayed in their places in the camp till they were healed. Then the LORD said to Joshua, "This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." Therefore the name of the place is called Gilgal to this day.

 

 

 


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Words from the The Quickened Word are excerpts from the journals of Sandy Warner.  To better understand how God speaks, read Sandy’s book, “101+ Ways God Speaks, And How to Hear Him.”  Website:
www.thequickenedword.com    Email:  swauthor777@usa.net  
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