The Cat And The Dog.

They didn't like each other. They had to live in the same house but when their paths would cross the cat snarled at the dog and the dog growled at the cat. The owner would scold the cat and scold the dog but the cat and the dog ignored the owner. The dog lived on one end of the house and the cat lived on the other end. The longer they lived together the more they came to hate each other. After awhile, they began to like hating each other. The cat would howl and the dog would bark even when they couldn't see each other, so deep was the hatred. The house was always in chaos because of the dog and the cat. The owner would often start to yell at the cat and yell at the dog when the howling and the barking started. Sometimes the owner would get mad and swat the cat and swat the dog with a flyswatter to make them stop making so much noise.

One day a rattlesnake got into the house. The snake was poisonous and had big fangs. The cat saw the snake and let out a howl. However, this howl was different than the howl reserved for the dog. The dog heard the unfamiliar howl and the rattle of the snake and came to investigate. The dog saw the snake near the cat. The dog lunged at the snake and the dog grabbed the snake and the dog bit hard into the snake's body. The snake curled around and bit the dog and the dog cried out. The dog dropped the snake and the dog started barking at the snake. The snake turned away from the dog and turned toward the cat again. The snake moved toward the cat. The dog jumped on the snake again and the cat jumped on the snake's tail and bit down hard on the snake. The dog, the cat, and the snake were in a fight to the death. The snake flinched, and writhed, and bit the dog again. The dog and the cat both continued to bite away at the snake's body. Suddenly the snake quit moving. The cat and the dog dropped the snake from their mouths. The cat and the dog stood side by side and watched the snake as the snake lay motionless on the floor. The cat looked at the dog and the dog looked at the cat. Suddenly the dog fell over but the dog was not asleep. The dog was bleeding from four fang marks on the dog's jaw. The cat walked away from the dog but watched the dog because the dog did not move any more. A while later the owner came home and the cat ran to the owner and took the owner to the snake and the dog. The dog was still not moving. The owner let out a loud scream and the owner knelt down next to the dog. The owner then saw the dead snake and let out another loud scream. The owner let out more loud sounds and ran to the telephone. The owner called someone on the telephone. The owner hung up the telephone and ran to the dog and took the dog away. It was a long time before the owner came back. The owner brought the dog back and laid the dog down on the dog's bed but the dog was not moving. For several days the owner gave special attention to the dog. The dog did not bark at the cat and the cat was quiet around the dog.

Every day the cat would come to see the dog. The dog would look at the cat but would not bark. Some days the cat would stay in the same room with the dog for a long time. After many days the dog got better and began to walk around. However, the dog did not bark at the cat any more.

Several months went by. One day when the owner was gone the cat and the dog were in the house by themselves. A violent thunderstorm came up. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed. The wind picked up and caused dirt and leaves to fly through the air. The trees were bending nearly double from the wind and suddenly tree limbs started falling from the violence of the storm. The cat was scared and so was the dog. Suddenly a tree limb came crashing through the window under which the cat's bed was lying. The tree limb crashed down on top of the cat. Rain started pouring in through the broken window. The cat was trapped. The cat started crying, not howling. The dog started barking but not at the cat. The dog crawled through the tree limb and pulled the cat's bed away from the wall and the cat was free. The cat tried to run away to another part of the house but the cat's paw was hurt and bleeding. The cat cried and the dog licked the cat's paw. The dog sat by the front door waiting for the owner to come back. When the owner came back the owner saw the broken window and the limb. The owner made a loud sound. The dog went over to the cat and the owner saw the cat and the owner picked the cat up and took the cat away. After a long, long time, the owner brought the cat back inside the house but the cat had a big white bandage on its paw. The cat could not walk very well. The cat and the dog never made noise at each other again.

One day the white thing on the cat's paw was gone.

A week to two later, the cat had a rubber ball the cat used as a toy. One day the ball went flying across the room as the cat batted the ball with the its paw. The dog caught the ball in the dog's mouth. The cat ran to get the ball but the dog had it. The dog saw the cat and the cat saw the dog. There was a face-off. The dog dropped the ball in front of the cat and the cat swatted at the ball. The ball went flying and the dog chased the ball. The dog caught the ball and brought the ball to the cat. The cat swatted the ball again and the dog chased the ball again. This went on for many minutes. The dog and the cat began to play ball with each other every day.

One day the dog did not play ball. The dog just lay on the floor and did not move. The cat came over to the dog and looked at the dog not moving on the floor. The cat went to the owner and meowed. The cat led the owner to the dog. The owner took the dog away but came back later with the dog. The owner gave the dog special attention for a few days but the dog did not move around much. In a few days, the dog began to move around more. The dog was finally able to walk. The cat wanted to play ball but the dog was still not moving very much. The cat stood in front of the dog and the cat licked the dog's face. The cat walked away and curled up in the cat's bed.

A few weeks later another storm came up. The cat was scared and so was the dog. This time, the cat and the dog curled up together in the dog's bed. This time no limb came through the window.

Isaiah 11:6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest. 9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. (NIV)